How to stage a treasure hunt...

[DreadPirateRoberts]

Originally Posted by Ponine

10 year olds?
Do you know how to make treasure rocks?

Please tell us about treasure rocks, they sound cool.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

<puts on glasses with a chain>

Your local library probably has great ideas for treasure hunts. Books on parties for kids include games that can be incorporated. Even though a lot of kids these days aren't lucky enough to have amazing parents like you, there are still lots of new books on the topic.

<removes glasses>

[Gemini Cricket]

For more information on staging treasure hunts, visit your local library.

[Gemini Cricket]

For more information on treasure rocks, visit your local liberry.

[katiesue]

We used to do scavengar hunts. You got a list of things to find, an egg, rubberband, usually simple things. Then you had to run around to all the neighbors and try to get them to give them to you. I guess in this day and age you can't really go around pounding on all the neighbors doors asking for rubber bands or eggs but it was a lot of fun.

The maps to find the treasure sound like a great idea. You could easily even break the kids into smaller groups with different maps so everyone got to participate more.

Chocolate coins would work for treasure.

Or - just thought of this. What if you cut the map up into smaller sections so you had to go to location 1 to find the next section to get you to location 2 and so on until you had the complete map to the treasure. Or each group of kids could have different sections so they'd have to work together to come up with the complete map.

[katiesue]

Or you could just go to the library.

[xharryb]

I like the idea of the map being in pieces. Split the kids into groups and give them each clues to find a chunk of the map. Then they all come back together to join their pieces and follow the big map to a main treasure.

Give them tasks that must be completed along the way (I'm sure the library could provide more detailed ideas for that ).

This sounds like a lot of fun actually!

[Ponine]

Okay... so Family Fun has a recipie for Treasure Stones
Treasure Stones These are made with plaster of Paris....


and a Treasure Cake



There is also a recipie out there for stones this way, but I cannot find a picture.:

Treasure Rocks

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour
1 cup used coffee grinds
1/2 cup salt
1/4 cup sand
3/4 cup water

INSTRUCTIONS

Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Slowly add water and knead until the mixture is the consistency of bread dough. Break off a piece of dough and roll it into the size of a baseball. Make a hole in the center of the ball big enough to hide treasures in. Fill the hole with treasures and seal with some extra dough. Let your treasure stone air dry for 2-3 days or until hard or bake in the oven on a cookie sheet at 150 degrees for 15-20 minutes.
If you want them colored add 1 Tbs. of powder tempera paint to tint your Treasure Stones different colors.

Now, I have seen the latter recipie, done similar to the first. In that you take the 'treasure' and wrap it in plastic wrap or foil and then use the coffee ground mixiture to cover it and shape into a rock...

Hmm... you could do part of the map with lemon juice ink...

so many fairly evil things to do with that age group.

Let me know if you need more... over zealous room mom here. I bought all the books the library owned.

[Matterhorn Fan]

Since the library's such a treasure-trove of information, I think the treasure hunt should end at the library. You could end at PZ7.S73 T73.

[Gemini Cricket]

I'm thinking you shouldn't eat the treasure rocks...