Hobbies And Interests
Tea Bag Ageing
A used tea bag will age paper to make it look like an old and authentic treasure map. Draw your map in a piece of white paper. Use dotted lines to show where the children should go and have landmarks in your house as checkpoints. Tear the edges of the map. Wipe the wet used tea bag over both sides of the page until it is completely soaked and the paper is brown. Crumple the wet map into a ball and leave it out to dry. When it is dry, open the map and wipe down with sides with cooking oil.
Step-by-Step
If you would like the treasure hunt to keep your children busy for several hours, consider making several maps and hiding them around your home or yard. Put a riddle on the first map that should tell them where the second one is hidden. This will not only keep them entertained, but it will help teach them problem-solving skills. If they are doing the hunt with several children, it teaches them to work as a team.
Gift Giving
Have your children create their own treasure map to give as a gift to a sibling or parent for their birthday. Direct the child to draw a map to wherever they have hidden a gift. If the child is older, they can also make up a riddle for the recipient to figure out in order to find the gift.
Letter Map
Use a treasure map to direct the children to several areas in your home where they can find letters that you have cut out. When they have found all of the letters, encourage them to unscramble them to figure out where the treasure is hidden. This map is particularly useful if you have older children that may find shortcuts on a more traditional map.