Paper chase : treasure map, code, sign-posted trail…

Treasure map

The best known “clue” to help the children orientating themselves is of course the famous treasure map. You can point out the most characteristic items on the map and draw a dotted line to connect the different stop-overs. Make the map as lovely as possible!

Sign-posted trail

You may decide to signpost the route which will lead the children step-by-step to the treasure. To do so you can make use of branches, paint, chalk, pebbles, moss, animal footprints that you will have printed…

Advice: if your hunt is taking place outdoor, do not signpost too much in advance. Your work may otherwise be scattered to the four winds or destroyed on the D-Day (unscrupulous walkers, nosey animals, climatic hazards…).

Code

This code is based on a fork, a knife and a glass, but you are free to use other objects which are usually placed on the left, on the right and in front.

The principle is as follows: provide the children with a piece of paper on which you will indicate the starting point of the hunt, how many steps they have to walk and the direction to take in order to discover the riddle or the treasure.

The children will first have to think about the meaning of the code. To decrypt the message, they will have to remember that a fork is placed on the left of the plate, a knife on the right and a glass in front of it.