4 family treasure hunt ideas
There is nothing more enjoyable than the thrill of finding the first clue in a treasure hunt, followed by another and another, until you hit the big jackpot. A treasure hunt, or a treasure hunt, is as much about the hunt itself as it is about the treasure that awaits you at the end! They talk about potential and about using clues to understand which is the path you need to follow next. In essence, treasure hunting encourages curiosity, going out into nature and appreciating adventure with your loved ones.
A treasure hunt is an excellent way to spend quality time with the family, to explore the surrounding world and at the same time enjoy the adrenaline of hunting. So get ready to explore, spend time together and, most importantly, have fun!
Treasure hunting tools
There are certain tools and tricks that every experienced treasure hunter must have at hand when starting this adventure. But for hunters at the beginning of the journey, you have everything you need below:
– a good shovel
- a bucket in which to collect your discoveries
- a magnifying glass to look at your discoveries in detail
- a metal detector, if you think it can help you.
But the most important tools you need in a treasure hunt are a curious mind, the spirit of adventure and time to explore!
4 variants of treasure hunting in the family
Treasure hunt for children, in the yard of the house
In general, for families with younger children, this is one of the most suitable ways to start tasting the experience of a treasure hunt. Children are extremely good at finding little treasures and love to bring home every discovery, with which they decorate their nightstands and shelves. All you have to do is give them a list of little "treasures" to find and give them just a little direction and they'll be more than happy to start the adventure! Outdoor fun and the thrill of hunting are perfect for their days off and will help you to keep them away from the technology that tends to take over their leisure time.
Treasure hunting in the backyard is a form of entertainment or recreational game that you can also organize at parties or special events. Participants receive clues or maps that will guide them to the places where the treasures are hidden. You can even create certain specific themes, if your family has certain passions or preferences.
When they have managed to check off the list of treasures to be discovered, tired little treasure hunters can receive special rewards.
Treasure hunt for children, with clues
In many countries, treasure hunting as a fun activity for children's birthday parties has become a classic option. And not long ago, it started to make its way to our family parties. Treasure hunting is a fun, exciting activity and will keep children busy, focused and active for more than 15 minutes!
There are plenty of examples of treasure hunts that you can take and adapt, but customizing a treasure hunt to fit your family's interests and "expertise" helps you make this game a special activity, to create memories that will last a lifetime!
An example of personalizing this activity is to create treasure maps in an authentic style, for the children to mark as they discover the clues.
Do you want to make an authentic-looking treasure map? Take a piece of ordinary paper and put it in a baking tray, then add coffee grounds or hot water with tea bags and let it soak overnight. Let the sheet dry and then slightly burn the edges above the sink. If the paper is slightly damp, it will be easier, because in this way the sheet will not burn too quickly. You can give the children the map to decorate as they like, especially if they are passionate about novels or adventure movies, where they can borrow some ideas about what old treasure maps look like.
Geocaching site
With clues, a route to follow and coordinates, geocaching is a hobby that has taken the world by storm in recent years, becoming a global activity!
Geocaching encourages participants to explore new places and solve clues to reach the final destination of each geocache.
This extremely popular activity around the world offers a fun way to combine GPS technology with nature exploration and adventure.
The word "geo" comes from the earth, and the word "cache" refers to hiding things, which means that you will explore the earth to find as many boxes or treasure chests as possible.
Chests have been used for centuries by explorers, gold seekers and pirates to hide their loot. In this game, the chest you will search for and find is hidden on a certain set of coordinates, the reference point that locates a position on a map. The chest will be full of special items and a log book.
The first step to geocaching is to register on one of the many geocache websites to share local coordinates and find nearby geocaches, rated by how difficult they are to find and how challenging the terrain is. All you have to do is follow the coordinates with the GPS to the first cache and clue and then the next and the next until you finally manage to find the treasure!
Letterboxing
If the idea of geocaching attracts you, but you want an experience based less on technology and more on the artistic side, the older cousin of geocaching, letterboxing, is waiting for you to discover it.
Broadly speaking, letterboxing works similarly to geocaching, with the difference that it is not based on GPS. A chest or a "treasure" box is hidden in an interesting and more or less remote place, such as a mountain peak or a nature area. The one who hides the box creates a clue that is then entered and compiled on a letterboxing website and listed by geographic area.
Each box contains a rubber stamp and a diary, and the person who hunts the letterbox will have a rubber stamp with their signature. The rubber stamp can be made personally or purchased, and letterboxing enthusiasts often take pride in their stamp designs.
After you decipher the clue and find the box, you will simply have to stamp the logbook kept in the box with your stamp and then stamp the logbook with the stamp from the letterbox.
Letterboxing has its origins in Great Britain and has become a recreational activity practiced all over the world. Participants enjoy the creative and exploratory aspects of letterboxing, as well as the idea of leaving a personal mark by marking their journals with the letterbox stamp.
We hope that these ideas have inspired you to invite your family to a treasure hunt in nature and thus discover new ways to have fun and spend quality time together, strengthening family relationships.