Educational Treasure Hunt

Getting kids away from the "idiot box" is like pulling teeth. No longer are kid programs just after school and on Saturday mornings. Now it's 24/7 cartoon channels and a plethora of other colorful distractions yelling at us from that now, not so small screen.

Firing up kids' imaginations and making them think outside of school takes some work. Here's an idea that's fun for everyone from preschoolers up; the educational treasure hunt.

The Basics

Use construction paper as clue cards. Invent hints that will lead kids from one clue to the next. Buy inexpensive lip gloss, rubber balls, or boxes of crayons for treasure. What they find isn't important, it's finding it that's fun.

Little Ones

Keep it simple, easy, and geared for their reading level. Lead them from clue to clue with large, simple drawings with the word written underneath in big letters. Don't draw? Cut pictures from a magazine. Send kids from a chair in the living room to a shelf in the refrigerator, then to under their own bed, the possibilities are endless!

Older Kids

Make it trickier so older children have to work as a team. Use a combination of directions, degrees, and word problems to lead them to each clue. Have the kids turn south from the stove, north six paces, turn 180 degrees south and look for a book on a shelf or a word in the dictionary that leads to the next clue. You could even have them find a clue in the coat closet with instructions to put on coats and find the next clue outside.

With a bit of preparation and a stack of treasure hunt cards, you can have an almost infinite supply of fun afternoon games. And hopefully keep kids away from the warm glow of the TV.

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