Budget Crafts for Children's Entertainment - A True to Life Treasure Map

First cook up a batch of some yummy cupcakes, can't bake? Then run on over to the grocery store and buy some kind of sweet treat as the "prize". You will need to make up some maps for your children to follow as we are going to start our treasure hunt. Follow these extra tips to make your treasure hunt one your kids will never forget.

You can use any basic white paper you have around the house. Next your going to crinkle the paper then smooth it back out. Place this paper into a cookie sheet that has sides to it as you will be pouring tea or coffee over the paper to give it an old fashioned looked. Once you have poured your coffee or tea over the paper let it sit for awhile till it darkens the paper nicely. After your paper is the proper color remove and let sit on a wire rack to dry. Once your paper has dried you are going to want to take a lighter to the edges of the paper, just lightly burn them to give off a very old look. You can even put a small burn hole somewhere inside the paper.

Now the fun begins. You are going to have to pick a landmark around your yard may it be a big tree or even the smallest of bushes. You will have to outlay your map in away so that your children can follow it around the yard. Come up with witty sayings to match the yard. For example to mark a tree you may want to write "Ye olde twisty that bends in the wind." And draw a very crude looking tree. Stick to black ink for most of your work and a sloppy red X that looks like it was written in paint. You will want to put dashes and dots for them to follow. Be as crypt as you want and then play scholar as you decipher this hidden map with your children. Your creative mind is what will keep your kids entertained. Think of the movie "Goonies".

You will have your children scouting the yard in no time. You can even leave little notes in areas of interest on the map stating things like "Alligator Swamp take 6 steps back" Make your treasure hunt interesting as your children will beg you to play again.