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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Your treasure hunt could easily be set up by Beryl and Sid from Accounts, nice and cheap in-house team building, but remember, they are not team building professionals and will not have the bigger skills-development picture in their mind when planning the hunt. It will be more like a club or church treasure hunt. For a real benefit, you will need to use an external provider, but that will be expensive so naturally you want to make sure you get value for money. So what should you look for in a good corporate treasure hunt?

Not everyone can answer cryptic clues, not everyone is a keen observer. So good corporate treasure hunt geared to team building will be inclusive, that is, there will be a selection of different types of clue, easy, hard, cryptic. This enables everyone to make a contribution for some of the time. Not only will a good provider offer this range of clues, they will have treasure hunts set up in a wide range of venues too . Check with the providers about this before deciding whose services to use.

The clues address the communication aspect of team building, and to a degree, develop the lateral thinking skills needed for problem solving. To further develop these skills, each treasure hunt should include extra tasks, such as scavenging items or producing photographic evidence to show a task was completed.

Planning is essential to every organisation, team building exercises should always include this element. A good corporate treasure hunt should facilitate this. A poor corporate hunt or church/club treasure hunt will be linear, everyone follows the same route, a few minutes apart. Soon there is no need to think because the group in front are writing excitedly. You see this and you know where the next answer is! What use is that for skills development? A good provider will address this by supplying more clues than could possibly be answered in the time available. At the start of the hunt, each team should spend time considering their route, which clues they intend to answer and what contingency plan they will have if they are running behind or ahead of schedule.

One of the big complaints that employees have about team building exercises is the standing around with nothing to do. A good corporate treasure hunt provider will not let this happen, there will always be at least one activity that is not dependent on location, often in the form of logic puzzles or a quiz. Make sure that this is the case with the provider that you choose.

Business is about competition, getting your share of the market, keeping that share, expanding that share. But competitiveness within a business can be very destructive so it is important that you as the consumer does your part first. Make sure that the teams comprise members of different departments so that they can get to know one-another. After the hunt, they will have something in common and be more likely to co-operate in the workplace.

At the end of a team building exercise comes the dreaded feedback. This can either be one-to-one or small group ‘what-did-you-get-from-the-day’ session or by form filling. Either way, most people really do not enjoy this. With a treasure hunt, there is no need for this, in fact it would probably spoil it. Your staff will be buzzing for days if not weeks after the event, you will hear them discussing clues, strategies, if only, and so on.

Kevin Woodward of chevinside.com designs, builds and optimises many team building web sites, particularly http://www.huntfortreasure.co.uk and http://www.spy-games.com, both of which deliver innovative team building solutions for businesses of all sizes.

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One of the reasons why treasure hunts are so popular, aside from the fact that they are great fun, is that they have something to offer everyone. Whether your preference is for action or cerebral challenge, for example puzzle solving, a well written treasure hunt will have something to appeal to most participants.

Themes integrate very well into the treasure hunt format and one of the most popular examples of this is the spy themed treasure hunt. This event may be based on James Bond or spying generally with the writing following the theme and challenges suited to it, including dead letter drops and following agents placed by the organiser.

More or less any theme can be used, including nationalities. Treasure hunts can also be organised abroad and they make an excellent base for sight seeing as clues take teams to famous locations and interesting places.

The treasure hunt event can be merged with other event formats to increase the experience and level of challenge. One idea which works particularly well is to combine a treasure hunt with a murder mystery, which will see teams dashing around collecting clues in an attempt to solve a fiendish crime.

Treasure hunts on mountain bikes in the country are very enjoyable and the New Forest in Hampshire is an alluring location, combining wonderful scenery with local pubs where events can finish with a good meal and the opportunity for vital social team bonding.

One of the most popular locations for treasure hunts in the UK’s fabulous capital, London. This city combines history and tradition with fascinating attractions and a reliable transport system so a large area can be covered.

London treasure hunts can make use of buses, the underground, London taxis and specialist transport such as people carriers or even stretch limousines. Experienced treasure hunt writers will know how to send teams to the most interesting and inspiring locations while avoiding the main tourist traps. No-one wants to spend their time queuing.

As a team building activity the treasure hunt is an ideal choice. The team is given a distinct task which must be completed in a specific time using limited resources.

A successful plan must be developed and delivery will depend on confidence and reliance on all members of the team. Good verbal communication is vital to business success and this activity will bring this to the fore.

In summary treasure hunts are a well established event format which can be developed to fit the objectives of more or less any event, whether it is purely a fun and memorable occasion or something linked to specific business goals. Most importantly of all, however, they appeal to the broadest possible section of a group both physically and mentally.

Progressive Resources Ltd runs a variety of corporate events including treasure hunts and themed events.

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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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