Kids' Game: Plan a 4th of July Treasure Hunt

During 4th of July family barbecues, we always seems to have a bunch of impatient children waiting to set off the fireworks. To keep the kids entertained for that last hour or so, we usually send them off on an old fashioned 4th of July treasure hunt.

Planning the treasure hunt

Preparing a successful treasure hunt takes a little advance planning. You'll need about an hour to locate and write the clues, and another thirty minutes to wrap the clues in their containers and hide them.

Since we always celebrate the 4th of July at our house, I scope out places in our own back yard where the clues can be hidden. Your clues will be hidden in 6" inch tubes; whatever spot you choose should be large enough to fit the entire tube.

For younger kids, place the clues in easy to find locations that don't take a lot of searching. You can even expose a corner of the tube to make it easier for them to spot. For older kids, you'll really want to hide those clues so that they take a bit of searching to find. Possible places to hide your clues for any age group can include the dog house, flower pots, mailboxes, in yard toys, in trees or shrubs, behind fence posts, under lawn furniture, next to meters, or on the play equipment. To hide the treasure, find an especially tricky location.

Once you have some idea of where to hide your clues, now you have to figure out how to lead the children to the clue itself. For this step, you'll need a pad of paper, a pencil, and a measuring tape. Find a starting point~the porch or front door is usually a good place~and begin writing clues that lead to the various hiding places around the yard. Number them as you go along, with the directions to the porch being "Clue #1".

Some clues are easy to develop. For an example, the clue leading to the dog house, could read "Rover's pad" for older kids, or "The Bow Wow house" for little ones.

Other hiding places, especially ones hidden in the landscaping are a little trickier to describe. For these, I use a measuring tape and carefully measure the distance from an easy-to-identify landmark to the new location. For example, "!7 feet from the NE corner of the shed towards the gate." Don't worry if the directions & distance are a little off since you don't want them finding the treasure too quickly!

Twenty clues are a good number for older kids (ages 9-12) while ten clues are about the right amount for ages 5-8.

Referring to your master list, write the clues on 20 small, but separate sheets of paper. Place the number of the clue on the reverse side. This will help you keep the sequence in the proper order as your hide your clues. Keep the master list nearby since you'll be referring to it as well.

Making a container

What better container to hold your clue than a fire cracker? Use toilet paper tubes to hold the clues, wrapping them up in bright wrapping paper or cellophane wrap. Tie the ends with curly ribbon so they resemble a crackling firecracker, (see picture). Along with the clues, add a little confetti or bits curled ribbon to make the contents look a little more festive. Use some dimensional paint to write the number of the clue on the outside.

Hiding the clues

If possible, don't set out the clues until just an hour before the treasure hunt is scheduled to begin. Keep clue #1 out since this is the one that will led them to the front porch, where the treasure hunt begins. Refer to the master list which will help keep your clues in their proper order.

For the treasure, I create a large firecracker made out of a long, wrapping paper tube. This larger size holds enough sparklers, smoke bombs, and licorice sticks or other stick candy to keep the entire gang happy until the fireworks show.