One simple, low-cost, and very popular way to entertain children at any kind of celebration or gathering, indoors or out, is with a good old-fashioned treasure hunt. A treasure hunt is the one party game that truly promotes interaction, naturally evokes squeals of excitement, and leaves your party guests with lasting memories of their adventurous day at your child’s party.

What if your child doesn’t want a pirate-themed party? No problem! Treasure hunts aren’t just for pirates. Tradition has dictated that pirates are the great treasure hunters, but the fact of the matter is treasure hunts are loved by boys, girls, and grown-ups alike, and make a great addition to any party theme. Treasure hunts can be simply adapted with a storyline and a variety of decorations to fit into any party theme. This is the one area of planning where your child might already have a very clear idea of what they would like, and it would be wise to involve them in this decision, as it makes the party their own.

To adapt a treasure hunt for a princess-themed party, for example, you might announce that someone has stolen the princess’s jewels, and whoever finds them by following the clues will be rewarded with a share of the loot. You place a jewelry box overflowing with plastic beads, candy necklaces and rings, and other gem-like treats in the center of the party table, and have someone sneak the treasure away during the party before making the announcement. Other themes and decorations might revolve around the latest TV cartoon characters, superheroes, pop idols, a holiday, or your child might want to create their own theme.

That being said, be careful not to fall into the parent trap of spending a small fortune buying themed party goods. Consider purchasing just a few themed bright and colorful decorations and/or centerpieces, and then either complement them with less expensive coordinating party supplies and decorations, or make your own — there are plenty of great fun ways to put you and your child’s artistic talent to work to customize your party.

Some crafty ideas kids may love making or having at their party include authentic-looking weathered pirate treasure maps, princess crowns and jewelry, spyglasses made from paper towel rolls, pinatas (handmade or bought), cardboard hooks inserted into the bottom of styrofoam cups to wear on their hands like Captain Hook, paper or felt decorated pirate hats, and bejeweled and personalized loot bags, to name only a few.

Although it requires some time, creativity, and resources, you can make and stage your own treasure hunt game to play as a group or competitively in teams. Design and hide 10 clever clues that lead players step-by-step from one clue to the next, hidden amongst common objects, to ultimately discover the hidden treasure, which might be sacks of “loot” consisting of candy such as chocolate coins wrapped in gold foil, or party favors, toys, and other items valuable to children.

Alternatively, if you’re short on time, money, and party ideas like many busy parents and party planners, online sites such as Treasure-Adventure.com offer affordable complete treasure hunts with pre-made custom clues full of rhymes and riddles that kids love to solve, the design of which can be the most time-consuming and difficult part of preparing a treasure hunt.

Use creativity to build your party further around the hunt for a truly fantastic and memorable party that your child and his or her guests will talk about long after the party is over. Although the treasure hunt will likely be the main attraction since it is the most action-packed and engaging, don’t necessarily limit other activities that might complement the hunt such as a cannonball toss using bean bags or water balloons, “Walk the Plank” using a shallow pool full of plastic alligators and snakes, pan for gold using gold spray-painted rock nuggets, dress in costumes, hold a peg-leg relay, make a castle or pirate ship out of an appliance box, play “Blackbeard says,” etc. — the sky is the limit!

Treasure hunts are also not just limited to children or birthday parties, but are perfect for family fun night, slumber parties, classroom parties, picnics, and other group events. Treasure hunts bring parties alive with hours of challenging and fun entertainment, with the thrill of the hunt along with the solving of puzzles often being the most enjoyable and memorable part of the day. And don’t think you can’t top your last party. By using a variety of themes, new treasure hunt clues and decorations, and a little creativity, you can throw many more successful and unique parties for years to come that never go out of style.

“If you’re up to the challenge, spyglass and compass in hand, yer prize is in sight, so let the adventure begin!”

To purchase inexpensive ready-to-play treasure hunt games online and find more valuable information on treasure hunt party planning, visit Treasure-Adventure.com online at http://www.treasure-adventure.com. Games come with complete hiding guides to help you coordinate and pull off the perfect hunt and bring your party to life, come in a variety of themes such as for outdoor and classroom events, and the Treasure-Adventure.com web site also offers party supplies, free downloadable kids activities and games, party and craft ideas such as how to make an authentic looking pirate map, treasure hunting tips, and legends of lost treasure.

Deb Bromley is co-founder of Treasure-Adventure.com, maker of unique downloadable treasure hunt party games with challenging custom clues for kids of all ages.

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Incorporating a fun, challenging, and fast-paced treasure hunt into your party will help break the ice and bring kids together as a team, indoors or out, following clues and solving rhymes and riddles step-by-step in their quest to capture the prize, ultimately evoking squeals of excitement at each clue discovered. Not only are treasure hunts relatively inexpensive, they are unique, memorable, interactive, and educational adventure games that challenge the imagination and can be played again and again. Most importantly, kids love them!

Although a pirate theme is the most logical choice for a treasure hunt party, it may not be your child’s first choice, and this certainly should not limit your ability to adapt a treasure hunt to any party theme. Treasure hunts aren’t just for pirates. Tradition has dictated that pirates are the great treasure hunters, but the fact of the matter is treasure hunts are loved by boys, girls, and grown-ups alike, and make a great addition to any party theme. Treasure hunts can be simply adapted with a storyline and a variety of decorations to fit into any party plan.

For example, to adapt a treasure hunt for a superhero-themed party, you might announce that a notorious villain has robbed the city bank, and a superhero needs your help! Solve the clues he has left behind to recover the loot and save the city! Fill a superhero bank or centerpiece with play money, gold-wrapped candy coins, and other favors to later sneak away during the party before announcing the theft and sending the crime fighters on their mission. Other themes and decorations might revolve around a princess whose jewels were stolen, the latest TV cartoon characters, pop idols, a holiday, or your child might want to create their own theme.

That being said, be careful not to fall into the parent trap of spending a small fortune buying themed party goods. Consider purchasing just a few themed bright and colorful decorations and/or centerpieces, and then either complement them with less expensive coordinating party supplies and decorations, or make your own — there are plenty of great fun ways to put you and your child’s artistic talent to work to customize your party.

Some great craft ideas kids might enjoy making or having at their party include authentic-looking weathered pirate treasure maps, princess crowns and jewelry, spyglasses made from paper towel rolls, piñatas (handmade or bought), cardboard hooks inserted into the bottom of styrofoam cups to wear on their hands like Captain Hook, paper or felt decorated pirate hats, and bejeweled and personalized loot bags, to name only a few.

Although it requires a little creativity, time, and resources, you can make and stage your own treasure hunt game to play as a group or competitively in teams. Design and hide 10 clever clues that lead players progressively from one clue to the next, hidden amongst common objects, to ultimately discover the hidden treasure, which might be sacks of “loot” consisting of gift certificates, cupcakes, party favors, toys, gold foil-wrapped coins, games, or other items valuable to children.

Alternatively, if you’re short on time, money, and party ideas like many busy parents and party planners, online sites such as Treasure-Adventure.com offer affordable complete treasure hunts with pre-made custom clues full of rhymes and riddles that kids love to solve, the design of which can be the most time-consuming and difficult part of preparing a treasure hunt.

Although the treasure hunt will likely be the main attraction since it is the most action-packed and engaging, don’t necessarily limit other activities that might complement the hunt such as a cannonball toss using bean bags or water balloons, “Walk the Plank” using a shallow pool full of plastic alligators and snakes, pan for gold using gold spray-painted rock nuggets, dress in costumes, hold a peg-leg relay, make a castle or pirate ship out of an appliance box, play “Blackbeard says,” etc. — the sky is the limit! Applying a little creativity will leave your party guests with a lot of lasting memories of their adventurous day at your child’s party.

Treasure hunts are also not just limited to children or birthday parties, but are perfect for family fun night, slumber parties, classroom parties, picnics, and other group events. Treasure hunts bring parties alive with hours of challenging and fun entertainment, with the thrill of the hunt along with the solving of puzzles often being the most enjoyable and memorable part of the day. And don’t think you can’t top your last party. By using a variety of themes, new treasure hunt clues and decorations, and a little innovation, you can host many more truly fabulous parties for years to come that never go out of style and your guests will talk about long after the party is over.

“If you’re up to the challenge, spyglass and compass in hand, yer prize is in sight, so let the adventure begin!”

To purchase inexpensive ready-to-play treasure hunt games online and find more valuable information on treasure hunt party planning, visit Treasure-Adventure.com online at http://www.treasure-adventure.com. Games come complete with hiding guides to help you coordinate and pull off the perfect hunt and bring your party to life, come in a variety of themes such as for outdoor and classroom events, and the Treasure-Adventure.com web site also offers party supplies, free downloadable kids activities and games, party and craft ideas such as how to make an authentic looking pirate map, treasure hunting tips, and legends of lost treasure.

Deb Bromley is co-founder of Treasure-Adventure.com, a designer of unique print ‘n’ play treasure hunt party games with custom fun and challenging clues for kids of all ages.

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Important components for a successful party:
• Fun theme everyone enjoys
• Fun theme related activities
• Fun Food and Drinks
• Fun Treats

When choosing a theme, be sure it is age appropriate and enjoyable. Fun treats and fun theme related activities often go hand in hand. Anytime you can include a fun activity with a treat to take home from the party, it is a sure bet the participants will enjoy the toy even more. Fun food and drinks tend to increase in complexity with the age of the participants, but simplicity is normally the key to great food and drinks.

If you choose to have a Pirate party, sea water punch and food from the sea are good choices. Simple fish sticks and fries can be served in a large, flat shell. Sea water punch is easy to make using simple lemon lime powdered drink mix, especially if you add a couple of gummy worms to each glass.

A fun activity would be a treasure hunt. Each person could find a small treasure chest filled with treats like candies, pencils, eye patches, stickers, etc. Or treats and treasures could be located in a huge chest for game and activity winners to choose a prize upon successful completion of an activity. Just keep with the treasure chest theme, keep things age appropriate, and make sure each and every guest gets a chance to claim their prize from the treasure chest, and your pirates of the Caribbean treasure chest party is sure to be a success!

Mrs. Party… Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for pirate party supplies and fun pirate party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free holiday printable games and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Themes including Pirate Party Supplies to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or “just because” parties. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

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1. Decide what the point of your treasure hunt is? Are they looking for a booty (bag, box, or chest of something special) or will one treasure map lead to a second map with a greater distance?

2. Are all the teams going for the same prize? (We don’t do this because too many youngers would have hurt feelings) It’s also more fun to have the teams crossing paths in the clues but not in competition for the same prize. This makes the clue solving the focus, which helps everyone with deductive reasoning, creative thinking, and sharing knowledge. *we’ve even had one big group with several smaller ‘clans’ in each group, all working with different clues. Some clues they need to share, some they don’t. It makes for interesting days.

3. Will it be a mixed group of kids or all one age? This is important to know when you’re setting up the clues. Little kids want to have some clues for them. In fact, this year we’re handing everyone a clue and the head of the team gets the map. That way everyone works together.

4. Plan events with an eye for the weather. Nothing is more discouraging for a team than to search for a hidden clue only to discover it had been blown away by the wind.

5. Watch where you place your booty, your clues, or maps. There are 4 or 5 plants that are unpleasant to blunder into. Know what poison ivy, oak, and sumac look like, and keep a look out for stinging nettles.

6. Be sure the kids have bug spray, sunscreen (organic cocoanut oil works great), and whatever else they may need for the hunt to remain pleasant. (items can be sent along as well: water bottles for everyone (with straps), a small snack for trying times, etc. And if all this seems too much, the olders can carry a backpack, fannypack or a tote of some kind.

7. Regardless of the form your treasure hunt takes, some sort of celebration at the end with snacks, drinks, and a chance for everyone to talk about their adventures is a great way to end the day. It’s also a great time for photos.

There are so many things to enjoy about a treasure hunt! It’s like an easter egg hunt, but you can have it any time! And now that you’re armed with a little bit more knowledge, planning your treasure hunt will be a piece of cake!

Kim Paluch is a freelance writer and a Well-Life coach and consultant. She is currently working on a mind-body wellness manual, in addition to creating a new family wellness e-zine. You can find more of her work at the following websites. http://kim-paluch.blogspot.com and http://yourwell-lifepartners.blogspot.com

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Make a Birthday (or any reason for a gift) into a fun time for all……

First the short, simple version:- Put a clue in a Birthday card that leads to another clue, then another clue, until eventually they find the gift..just like a real treasure hunt.
For the finer points ..read on…

For many years I have not GIVEN Birthday or Christmas presents to my children, instead they receive their Celebration card and in the card is a simple clue written on a piece of paper. (Depending on the age and ability of the birthday child would depend on the clue they receive).

The general idea is to play treasure hunt on whatever scale you feel the recipient can manage…E.g. Young children from 4 to 10 would probably be restricted to the house and garden. Teenagers may like to travel to local malls or shops..for adults unless you have a rocket to play with ..the world is big enough!!

This Idea works like this.

Get a piece of paper and a marker pen and think of areas where you could put a clue that will direct them to another clue….e.g.. Clue— “Where does Buzz light year go when the play room is tidy?” The answer is “the toy box” When they figure that out, tell them there is another clue in the toy box. They now go to the toy box and find a clue (may be fixed to Buzz Lightyear) it could say “where do you store your bike??” The answer could well be the shed or garage…so the child goes to the shed or where ever the bike is stored and there, fixed to the bike, is another clue.

The Treasure hunter will enjoy this much more than just getting the present given to them. Try it yourself( do a dummy run with your partner and see what fun it is).I suggest making the treasure hunter work a bit, so why not put the first clue down stairs and the second one up stairs and then the third one in the garage..think of two places a long way from each other then watch and enjoy as your treasure hunter runs around the place looking for the next clue!

After four of 5 clues (or more if you like, sometimes a clue could send them to the fridge for an Ice cream..then they find a clue fixed to the ice cream!). They eventually find the present that you may have hidden in a draw or under the settee.
Some clues can be tricky so you may have to give hints or tips. This could take the form of the game “charades” where you can give a clue, but you can’t speak, you only give signs.

Writing the clue is especially suited to personal family jokes or Information i.e. Clue:- “This is where the item that Granny broke last Christmas used to be”….may be she broke the vase on the fireplace, so they go to the fireplace where the vase used to be and find a clue there. (for an adult version, I guess you could hide the clues about your person! I shall say no more on that!!)

There are many variations on this simple Idea, for example… for teenagers this can be made into your major party game. Your clues could suggest they go to a few local shops or places of interest. The way that works is to select the places you think would be good to visit (may be you know the shopkeeper or assistant there) and deposit a clue in a brightly coloured envelope with the shopkeeper or assistant at each place. When preparing for the treasure hunt, just go to the selected place and explain you have a treasure hunt for a party game and would they mind if the their establishment was a place for a clue to be kept? (I find giving the assistant a few bucks as a tip is a good way to get it two work smoothly).
If the assistant agrees check they know what your treasure hunter looks like and give them a password that the treasure hunter must say before they receive the clue envelope. Tell them an approximate time (and day) that your treasure hunter should arrive. When the treasure hunter arrives they ask for the password (which was on the previous clue), if it is correct handover the clue. Once, in a candy shop, I pre paid for six packets of candy, this way, when my lad and his mates came in, they got a packet of candy as well as the clue…

As for the clues themselves write them in big letters on a sheet of A4 or A5 as you may have quite a few people in the treasure hunt party all wanting to read the same clue. The bigger and brighter the envelope you put the clue in , the better! (I tend to keep all the envelopes the same size and colour, this helps with continuity and is an assurance they are getting the correct envelope). You can make the treasure hunters work out the location of the next clue with a word game. An anogram of GOD has the clue under their food bowl…

You can really put some work in and bury a clue in a box or a bag, may be in the garden or even a public place like a beach or under some stones in a park. The places to hide the clues are endless..as the envelope has no value as such they should not be stolen if you hide them well.

How do they get around?/ they could all be on their bikes or you can say you will be the driver..that way you can enjoy the fun, they get to be the back seat driver and keep you can an eye on them all.

Have fun
From a Happy Dad

This fun family idea is brought to you by Owen Winter

http://www.creditcard-website.com

Owen Winter

An Englishman in Dubai

If you need a quality credit card to buy a gift or any item. You can sign up on line at http://www.creditcard-website.com

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A lot of kids grew up with the fascination of pirates and buried treasure. The child of course will never find an old treasure map to enjoy this sort of adventure. Parents however can offer some support by letting the kid have fun by hiding something in the house and looking for it.

Having a treasure hunt at home can be fun. The best way to enlarge the search area will be to do this also in the backyard and even getting a metal detector. Here are a few basic units that the person can choose from.

The Hays Mark 2 is ideal for a child below 9 years of age. It has a small control unit, which will sound when something metallic has been found. It comes with a 5 inch coil that is just right for someone short and is powered by a single 9 volt alkaline battery.

The product lines are very limited for those who are still very young. But those aged 10 and up can have more fun.

One model is the Bounty Hunter Fast Tracker. It comes with a 7 inch waterproof search coil, a sensitivity control box that allows the user to target a specific object such as a coin.

This kind of metal detector also has an external speaker as well as a headphone jack. This allows the person to use either one or the other that will alert the individual when something is in the ground.

The price for this device is less than $100. Should there be any problem with the machine, this can be brought to the shop for repair since it comes with a 5 year warranty.

The Garret 250 is another model that can even be used by adults. It comes with an LCD screen, push button controls, an electronic pinpoint system and a battery indicator that will tell when it is time to have these replaced.

This type of metal detector will cost a little more than the previous one. This can be ordered online or purchased in the store for less than $215 but is well worth it given the features.

There are other metal detectors worth checking out but this will already cost more than $500, which is too much to spend on a kid doing treasure hunting for the first time. Perhaps when the child is older and still loves to do this as a hobby can the person start thinking of getting a better model.

Low Jeremy maintains http://metal-detector.articlesforreprint.com. This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.

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Hunting for buried treasure is no longer something that kids do for fun. Adults are also getting into this thanks to the handy metal detector.

One model doing quite well in the market is the Bounty Hunter P110 Pioneer Metal Detector with Automatic Ground Trac.

This type of metal detector is hand held so all the user has to do is point it toward the ground. It comes with headphones and once this is adjusted to the right sensitivity, the person will be able to find anything such as coins, jewelry and anything else metallic.

The individual does not have to bend over to get a signal because it comes with an extended arm rest with an S-rod handling system and a 8 inch waterproof search coil so that anyone using it won’t get tired scanning for objects.

This model is powered using 2 9 volt alkaline batteries. It will be a good idea to check on this to maximize the use of this machine. The individual can buy this online from the manufacturer for just below $100, which comes with a 5 year warranty.

Before using the device, it will be a good idea to read the manual to be familiar with each part and how the switches work. The person should also practice this first in the garage to be able to distinguish between something valuable or junk when going treasure hunting in the field.

There is a term for this, which is better known by metallurgists as method discrimination. Aside from hearing the sound that is reflected to the machine, it is also possible to determine what is down there by reading the numerical readout seen on the display case.

When the metal detector is not being used, it will be a good idea to take out the batteries and store the device in a safe place. This will prevent it from being damage by the elements increasing the chances of finding something every time.

A good tip for those who want to go treasure hunting will be to work in groups. This will speed up the process in searching a wide area so that the people can move on to the next grid if nothing has been discovered.

The model offered by Pioneer is just one of many brands that are being offered in the market. The customer can also check these out by going to the store or checking online but nothing comes close to this effective and hand held device which is always great to have around.

Low Jeremy maintains http://metal-detector.articlesforreprint.com

This content is provided by Low Jeremy. It may be used only in its entirety with all links included.

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