Wednesday 26 March 2014

Colour Treasure Hunt - Idea for the Easter Holidays

 A Colour Treasure Hunt
 Want to get the kids off the sofa, away from the computer or TV screen and get them out into the fresh air and maybe enjoy running about in the sunshine like you did for hours on end when you were a child? Me too!

Maybe get them to look at nature or their surroundings in more of a creative way? I find that teaching them something fun as they play is a great way to learn.


Here is an idea to help.



Why a Treasure Hunt?

A treasure hunt is great for all ages and popular with boys and girls alike. I get mine to help the little ones with reading the clues and take turns. They get a chance to run about, work in a team, and you can tweak the clues depending on their age and ability.

I have done treasure hunt parties on bikes where the two teams ultimately had to find the party venue, treasure hunt spy parties , and I always do one at Christmas to find the ‘ big presents’ . Kids just LOVE them. And of course I must enjoy doing them too!

This Colour Treasure Hunt will be a bit different.
This is a game for up to 7 kids. One colour each. If you have less than 7, just get them to collect a couple of colours each.
 It consists of 3 game parts. You can just do one or all 3 parts if you want. Depends on your time and venue.
 Part 1 scavenger hunt. Each child collects their designated colour treasure, hidden in the garden or park. Make sure they know how many pieces you have hidden for them before they start.
 Part 2 treasure hunt with clues and a puzzle. Once colour treasure has been collected, each child has to answer their  particular colour clue. Their reward is a piece of rainbow puzzle which when they have pieced them all together then reveals the last big clue to lead them to the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow. You could use a pot of chocolate money or even a real gold $2 coin each. Or maybe it might be a pot of cookies or some kind of other treat. Up to you.

 Part 3 eco colour hunt clear up. Each child collects as many pieces of coloured rubbish as possible. If you are in a local park, this is a great way of them tidying up after a picnic or a play. The orange collector collects everything orange, the blue collector everything blue….etc etc.
This obviously teaches them to respect their natural surroundings and to be responsible little colour hunters. 




Cut up rainbow into colour strips once you have written the big final clue on its reverse.



You Will Need
·          A picture of a rainbow at least  A4 size. This could just be a print off  image from the internet or if you are feeling really creative you could get the kids to paint or colour one.
It should show clearly the 7 colours of the rainbow. RED. ORANGE. YELLOW. GREEN .BLUE. INDIGO. VIOLET.

.Scissors for cutting up this rainbow picture.

·         Coloured wool, paper or something easily hidden in the colours of the rainbow. Coloured wool  scraps, craft paper or even something like monopoly money would do.
       
·         Plain paper for clues  and coloured pencils to determine a colour marking so each child knows what clue is specifically for them.
 
·         Pen for writing clues.
·         Sticky tape for sticking the rainbow picture puzzle back together when each child has solved their colour clue.
·         A bag or something for collecting rainbow treasure for each child.
·          Treasure for the pot at the end of the rainbow.Gold chocolate coins or some shiny new dollar coins. Anything you think your kids will see as treasure. A pot to put them in.
·          Your pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.


Preparation Time
Could be 15 mins. Could be an hour. Depends on your clues, numbers of clues and your level of enthusiasm. My tip….. the more effort you put in, the better the hunt, the longer they will be running about , and the more memorable and enjoyable for all. A good investment !

Activity Time
Depends on number of clues and number of kids.

Location
 Anywhere outside is best but if weather is really inclement, you could I suppose do it inside. Have to make sure the kids stay in a small room while you place the treasure about the place.
A park or a good size back yard. Preferably somewhere with a few colours and options for hiding clues.


#1: Lets get started………


Prep:
Sort out your coloured treasure into various colour piles. Make sure you have at least 7 pieces per colour to make the hunt last a little while. Cut the paper or coloured wool into even pieces.
Find a pot for your rainbow treasure. I am using an old Halloween trick or treat collecting tub. Fill with your treat or treasure. See pic.
Write your final clue in large writing on the reverse side of your rainbow picture and then cut along the colour lines of your rainbow print outs. Put pieces to one side somewhere safe and out of the wind.
 
Make sure the kids are distracted while you set up. Get your partner to take them off for a wander or keep them busy on the play equipment maybe?  If they sneak a peak its all over red rover!


 



 You could use coloured thread instead of paper .

#2: Hide the Colours

Hide your colour clues around the garden \ park. Space things out and try and camouflage each colour with its surroundings. Think about the height of your treasure hunters.
 
You might want to tie some wool around branches. Partially hide something. Use your imagination.


 Orange clue camouflaged.

 Violet colour was well camouflaged!


#3: Write Clues for the Rainbow Puzzle

For  part 2 of Colour Treasure hunt you need to write one clue per colour of the rainbow. The level of hardness of these clues really depends on the age of your children. If for example your green treasure collector is 6yrs old. You could ask ‘ what colours do you mix together to make green?’   
You could make them more complex for older children for eg What colour comes after red in the traffic light sequence?
Each clue should be based on a colour, their meaning, or it could even be something really personal or particular to your family. What colour eyes does dad have?  
You hide these paper clues along with the colour treasure in the garden. Each collector knows which is his clue by a coloured spot or coloured pencil marking on the outside of it. See picture. 



#4: Rules first…….

 Sit all the kids down. Tell them the rules about waiting for the little ones. If you are in a public park make sure the kids know where the parameters of the hunt are. Don’t want them to go off wandering.
Share out the colours. Who collects blue, who collects green.
Tell them what to expect. You need to find 10 pieces of ….. and a paper scroll clue. Kids like to know the rules up front. When they have collected all 10 and their colour clue, tell them to come back to base and you will reward them when they have solved their wordy clue.
Maybe park yourself on a picnic rug in the centre of the hunt with a well earned cuppa. Half the fun is watching them discover it all.





#5: And their off……. Sit back and enjoy their adventure….. there really is a pot of gold at the end of the rainbow!

#6   When they have eaten their treasure, almost time to go ………
Finally do part 3 of the Colour Treasure Hunt.

      Eco treasure hunt. Get them to collect everything they can see that shouldn’t be in the park \ or your backyard. Lollie wrapper, a yellow straw, a blue bit of paper, a bit of lost rainbow. The winner with the most colour treasure in their colour maybe gets an extra treat. Choice of dinner, an extra gold coin….. whatever you feel rewards them best.

Final thoughts…..

Choose your venue with a bit of care. The more variation in surrounding colours and environment, the better the hunt will be and the more fun it will be for all. It’s a great tool for teaching kids about colour, nature and for them to look a bit closer at their surroundings.