I had the treasure hunt. Although we made changes from what you suggested, I was able to use many suggestions from your material. It was so awesome, I'll be doing another one for the family children at Thanksgiving (about 12 kids from 4-12).
Eric Waddell, North Carolina, USA
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Originally I was going to use the Treasure Hunt and plan a 'Trip to Britain' with a Visa as an invitation and serve fish and chips in Newspaper. My son didn't really get that whole theme so we are going with the Pirate Treasure Hunt you sent me which he is very excited about. Glad I got both-thanks so much
I found a great web site 'deadmentellnotales.com' which has pirate stuff galore' so prop wise we are well on our way (I even got Pirate music from the web site). I think I will put a lock on the treasure chest anyway, and give out three numbers at some of the stations. With three numbers they should be able to work out the different combinations and open the chest.
I won't do teams, they will all work together. I would like to add one additional station. I like the mummy idea from the regular game-do pirates do anything similar?
Do you have suggestions for food at a Pirate party?
I am having a great time planning this party and couldn't have done it properly without your assistance.
Now I just need to learn to talk and act like a pirate!
Michelle Caragol, Colorado USA
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Nikki,
Due to the size of our treasure hunt (140 participants) we found it difficult to use everything that was in the kits. We did use the pattern for the puzzle and made our own clues. We had to run two games at the same time. Both having 7 teams in each game with 10-14 players on each team. We used ciphers, cryptograms, Mad Gab clues, riddles, word searches you name it. We had the games travel all over our town. The games took about 2 1/2 hours to complete. At the end location, no matter where a team ended up, their last clue sent them on a final trek to gain the last puzzle piece. The timing worked out great. This was my greatest concern. Cars/buses you name it started rolling in one right after the other. Remember I told you weeks ago that our theme for the weekend was the Bailout.
Jesus Christ bailed us out. There was no way that any of us could pay the debt that we owe for our sins. He paid it for us.
Keeping with the theme, our last clue on a list they followed read like this. To "B" or not to "B" that is the question. Whether tis nobler to.... Oh forget it, I need a bailout! Go to the bucket and draw out your last clue. Once they climbed up into our "B" lettered bucket truck and gained the last piece, they were frantically taping them together. The first team from each game to read it to me out loud me got an envelope that declared them the winner of their game. They however needed to follow another map to the location to gain the treasure map. Cars were frantically driving everywhere. The energy was amazing. Everyone was having a great time, even when they didn't win. Once they got their respective treasure maps. The hunt was on. We buried two treasures with a backhoe and when they
finally found the right location, the digging began. The girls were able to pull their box out without a big mess. The guys team saw the lid and pulled it out letting all the dirt fall in on the treasure. The note in both boxes read. Jesus Christ died one for all and the treasure is to be shared by all.
There was a grand prize for the winning teams which was CDs from the Christian Band that was here for the weekend. There were thumbs up from everyone. Good game. My only fear now is that I know they are going to want another one.
Thanks for getting us started.
Karen Bowles, Alabama, USA
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Nikki,
I have read through the game planner and it was helpful. I am having a 9th birthday party for my son this month and I have invited 13 other guests. It is a road rally scavenger hunt, so we will be driving around in teams. I am currently compiling the list. I've decided to set a time limit and have plenty of tasks that are each worth a point value. I hope this works well. I'm not sure how long to make the game, it's difficult to judge how long it will take to drive around and do each task. The list isn't meant to be completed. I am planning on having 3 teams of 4-5 boys each. I have purchased bandanas in 3 colors and will have the boys pick one out randomly from a bag to choose teams. We also plan on having them decorate the cars with glass paint and streamers. If the weather here in Chicago area is terrible the day of the party, we have a back-up plan to move the party to the mall. Because I am so insane, my 12 year old daughter is having her party the next ni ght and we are also doing a neighborhood scavenger hunt for that (15-18 boys and girls). Not as complicated, but we are trying to keep them occupied until the DJ arrives for a 2 hour dance party at our home. Wish me luck!
Cathy Wilson, USA
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The scavenger hunt that I'm holding is scheduled to occur on 18 July. I'll let you know how it goes. I got a lot of good ideas from the materials.
Sandra Buckley, Massachusetts, USA
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Yes. we are well on our way. I absolutely LOVE what you have put together.
With a couple of minor tweaks, we are set for our big Youth Group Bonfire and Night Treasure Hunt. We are hosting it on a farm outside with the stations and some added riddles to spice up the hunt and excitement. The date is October 28th and the kids are really getting excited.
Thank you again for such a great product and for checking in on me, I really appreciate it.
Sincerely, Bridget Taft
Youth Director, Abiding Word Church
Bridget Taft, Illinois, USA
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Our Scavenger Hunt was a huge success! Lots of fun was had by all.
We provide this dinner once a year and always try really change things up.
I will contact you if I need your assistance again. Thank You.
Kris Vandenplas, Wisconsin, USA
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Nikki
We had the party and it was great. Appreciate all the suggestions in the book. Have a great holiday weekend
Tracey Ivaldi, New Jersey, USA
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Nikki:
Have purchased your guide, and am I'm planning the treasure hunt for this weekend. Details are below.
Number of children: 8
Ages: Mostly 5-6 year old boys, plus 2 3-year old girls (who won't probably participate as much as just 'run with the pack')
Theme: Lewis & Clark/Exploring (it's my son's 6-year birthday party and he's very 'into' Lewis & Clark at present). He is also a big fan of treasure hunt-type TV programs, e.g. The Amazing Race and Treasure Hunters.
Location: We have a very large garden (>1 acre) on a hill so there are plenty of places to hide things. It's fairly 'woody' (lots of trees) around the house, so I thought to bury the treasure in one of the more woody sections, with the clues hidden more in the garden proper.
Ideas: It's not a big group so I'm not sure it makes much sense to do teams. Rather I thought (in keeping with the Lewis & Clark theme) the boys could be a band of explorers, and they all have to work together to solve the puzzles, find the clues, and locate the treasure.
What with the size of the garden and the hilly locale, the game could be pretty tiring. I'm thinking about 6 clues total - does that sound about right? Basically this is the basic plan:
* hide a series of 'artifacts' around the garden in the form of foreign coins or similar items. (This is stolen from the 'Treasure Hunters' TV show.) When the team finds the artifact, they can turn it in to me for their next clue.
The 'artifacts' would be hidden at locations that lend themselves to clues - for example, 'I'm white and curvy and used to live in the sea' (seashell), 'Where the birds go to eat' (bird feeder), etc.
* when each artifact is found, the team gets a clue to the next artifact, and a piece of the treasure map. At a couple of points in the game, the team has to either solve a puzzle or complete a task in order to get the next clue. Ideally, the tasks would be ones where the whole team could participate simultaneously (for example, the picking-up-peas game) and then once any one person (or perhaps two people?) have completed the task, then the entire team gets to move on. Other ideas I have in this genre would be kicking a soccer ball into a goal from a distance.
Thanks for your help!
Howard Sewell, Washington USA
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Hi Nikki,
We had the party last weekend. I had a hunt in our neighborhood park for some 10 year olds. They had a really good time. I decided to have it at the last minute so your list was a big help in planning a hunt in one day. Next year with more time I'll make it much bigger.
Diana Reed, USA
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Nikki,
We did our treasure hunt for a Halloween party we hosted. It was a huge success. I had 14 boys, ages 5-10, and we did it in the house. I spent countless hours after my kids went to bed getting prepared. I couldn't wait and was hoping the kids would have as much fun doing it as I had planning. I had great parent helpers. Surprisingly, the winners were the "little" guys team.
You are a genius!!!! As a non-creative thinker, I could never have come up with something so much fun. The only major change I made was the bobbing for apples station. I felt it would be too messy, and not so sanitary. Instead, I had them remove some "body parts" from the patient in the Operation game. They got a big kick out of that. Otherwise, I followed the Halloween version very closely.
Thanks again!
Gretchen Birch, ohio, USA
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Hi Nikki
We used the instant treasure hunt outdoors for My Daughters 8th Birthday Party - I used the 5-7year old hints and they were perfect
Thanks
Richard Rude, Connecticut USA
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Thanks so much Nikki - did a quick treasure/scavenger hunt for the kids at our Superbowl party and as always it was a super duper hit!
Leslie Suhy, California, USA
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Dear Nikki,
We had a great time!! The treasure hunt took about 3 hours to set up. I had 25 children over. We used compasses and shovels. The groups of kids went from clue to clue. Some were even tied on a balloon and placed an a pond to float around. (The actual clue was in a ziplock bag tied to a balloon) Each clue had an additional piece of a 'clue'. When each group collected all 6 pieces of their additional 'clue' we met at the main pirate ship (the garage, which was decorated). Each team put their 6 pieces of the 'clue' together (we had 6 teams so 36 pieces total). The 'clue' was Spongebob's theme song. They had to sing it. The reason for the additional clues was that a Spongebob pinata actually held the real treasure map and a key to the truck the treasure was hiding in. All the kids took a swing at spongebob and finally it broke. Candy and a treasure map an key came out. They read the map and unlocked the trunk for their treasure. The party was 3 hours long.
Thanks
Chantel Prater, Indiana USA
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We had our treasure hunt Sat night. It was great. The students enjoyed it and so did the adults that were working the different stations. I was so relieved to have something already complete and ready to use. It was user friendly. We changed the font and copied it onto brown aged paper and it looked so real. We had middle school age and college age. They all enjoyed it. We had the stations set up among a pirate town and they had to go through the town to complete. We used it to eliminate the teams to two and the two completed a treasure hunt that was extra. Thank you for such a good product.
Pam Bennett, Tennessee USA
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It was a great success and the girls (18) HAD A WONDERFUL TIME. Couldn't have done it without your treasure hunt game/ideas.
A beautiful way to spend a fall evening in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Denise Cox, Alberta, Canada
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Nikki
We had the party and it was great. Appreciate all the suggestions in the book. Have a great holiday weekend
Tracey Ivaldi, New Jersey, USA
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Hi Nikki!
Thank you so much for your help in getting me the Instant Treasure Hunt. It's perfect for us! I plan to try it out on some neighborhood friends next weekend.
Thanks again! I appreciate your help. We are looking forward to many fun and exciting treasure hunts around here - for birthday parties and those days that we need a fun activity!
Warm Regards,
Lynne Hamilton, Pennsylvania, USA
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I am in Montreal, NC, USA planning a birthday party for my grandson and his friends ages 10-12, though some younger brothers and sisters and parents will probably join in. I am the grandmother writing on the grandfathers e-mail. We live on the side of a mountain with steep slopes, lots of stone steps, a creek, a large goldfish pond and lots of good places to hide things. The party is an annual occasion with most of the children running wild, chasing each other, in what appears to an adult to be an aimless fashion. A few stay inside quietly playing board games. So...
this year the treasure hunt seems like a good idea and maybe all will engaged. I think they are definitely old enough! The party is scheduled for Sunday, June 5. I like the fact that you are interested in feed back and so enthusiastic about what you do! Sincerely,
Gale Hussey, North Carolina USA
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Hi Nikki,
I am one of the organizers for my company's treasure hunt this coming May so yes I am truly excited. I have read through some of the files you have sent and I will say I am quite impressed as everytime i read your ideas and guidelines I have come up ideas in my head.
Thank you so much for your help..
Maryana Tahir, Malaysia
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Hi Nikki, The treasure hunt party was a great success. It was a lot of fun and my neighbor asked where I got my ideas from. Thanks,
Catherine Grote, Kansas USA
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Hi Nikki;
I love your "customer service"---except that its more than customer service! It's personal and warm and I feel like I have a friend instead of a business transaction.
Now the burial place! We are fortunate in that we have many options. We walked the property again this morning and will probably choose a place next to a creek bed---(dry at the moment as
we have had no rain--- under a huge Oak tree--- and behind a hedge of evergreen fir. We like this place because the losers will be able to watch the retrieval activities from solid stable ground ---not on a hill and no rocks.
I was very excited to find a wonderful Treasure Box---perfect size & shape (just like you expect a treasure chest to look)--It was unpainted so I stained it brown--and best of all the treasures I purchased fit into it perfectly.
We still have to work on the puzzle part and plan the stations. Time is getting short so we are under pressure with all the other tasks for the big week end.
Thanks for keeping in touch.
Lou Wilson, California, USA
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Nikki,
Yes, we had our Treasure Hunt on 11/18. I had a little panic moment for the preparation since we didn't quite know what to get and stuff, but with great help of my 15-year-old daughter on that day, we could make it to a very exciting, fun treasure hunt. So everything went well after all. Thank you.
Rie Bach, California, USA
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Hi Nikki
Thanks for being so prompt in replying to the problem I had downloading the e book. I used some ideas from the e book and it gave me a good idea on how to plan the party. I then modified it to suit our party, which we held around our local area.
My son loved the party and I think his friends will be talking about it at school today!
Yvette Atkinson, Auckland, New Zealand
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Hi Nikki,
Yes, I have downloaded the Treasure Hunt Party game Planner and bonus gifts. I actually downloaded them right after I ordered the product. It was great. Very fast and very easy. I have briefly read thru the Planner and I think it will make my next Treasure Hunt Party MUCH easier. I am planning one for my daughter's birthday which is not until February so I have plenty of time. I have done a couple of treasure hunts prior to this and they were ALOT of work. The first two I did were like yours where there were stations to go to and some kind of challenge to perform. The last one I did was for my daughter's birthday this past February. It was a Harry Potter Treasure Hunt party and I did not have a lot of time so I just did riddles/cryptograms that led them to another clue in the house and eventually to the treasure.
I like the idea of stations and challenges, however. I think the party in Feb 09 will be much better than the one I did last year. My daughter will be turning 11 in February just to give you an idea of the age group. Last year I found the girls to be quite sharp which is why I purchased the adults/any age group planner. They all really love treasure hunts so this may become an annual event.
Saroja Raman, Maryland, USA
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Hi Nikki,
Yes, I have downloaded the Treasure Hunt Party game Planner and bonus gifts. I actually downloaded them right after I ordered the product. It was great. Very fast and very easy. I have briefly read thru the Planner and I think it will make my next Treasure Hunt Party MUCH easier. I am planning one for my daughter's birthday which is not until February so I have plenty of time. I have done a couple of treasure hunts prior to this and they were ALOT of work. The first two I did were like yours where there were stations to go to and some kind of challenge to perform. The last one I did was for my daughter's birthday this past February. It was a Harry Potter Treasure Hunt party and I did not have a lot of time so I just did riddles/cryptograms that led them to another clue in the house and eventually to the treasure.
I like the idea of stations and challenges, however. I think the party in Feb 09 will be much better than the one I did last year. My daughter will be turning 11 in February just to give you an idea of the age group. Last year I found the girls to be quite sharp which is why I purchased the adults/any age group planner. They all really love treasure hunts so this may become an annual event.
Saroja Raman, Maryland, USA
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Hi Nikki!
Our treasure hunts were lots of fun! We modified the plan for our daughter to have a treasure hunt based on a Nancy Drew theme. I renamed the stations with titles for Nancy Drew Mysteries and named the teams different desserts based on the Nancy Drew movie that came out last summer. We used your party idea for developing two person teams by letting them pick and shoe andshoestring, spoon and fork, etc. All of the girls ages 10-11 seemed to really enjoy all of what we did. They were even very excited to find the treasure under our porch at twilight which our son had hidden. We also used some of your ideas for our son's party. He had an Indiana Jones themed party and only three friends so we really couldn't form teams, we just let them move through kind of an obstacle hunt to find their treasure.
Thank you for all of your great ideas! They really helped to make our children's parties an exciting success!
Most grateful,
Amy Brown, North Carolina, USA
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Hi Nikki!
Thanks for a great product and an even better time with friends and family enjoying our treasure hunt! We did this just yesterday for Easter and the youngest person in the group was 12. Everyone else was 15 and older, so I used a mix of adult/teenage clues. It was great. I stumped my kids....made others look like geniuses and the adults had just as good of a time watching the kids go crazy!
Overall, this was a huge success. I especially like that I was able to alter some of the clues to make them more personal to my family. I am certain that a lot more huge parties with many more great hunts are in our future.....
Thanks for everything!
Yvonne Kessel, Germany
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Nikki,
The treasure hunt was a great success.... I adapted your plans. I had about 12 8 year old boys and girls.... I put them into teams of 3. Each team had a color,... so the clues led to colored poker chips (with the teams corresponding color) which they then found and turned in to get their next clue (each team had an official "clue giver" who held all that team's clues in numeric order)......
For little people this made management of clues and adult supervision much easier. After every two successful clues...the team had a physical challenge ( for example, diving into our pool....swimming through some hoops and picking up gold coins)....The "clue givers" were official judges of the challenges and distributed next clues. The last physical challenge involved a relay race with balloons....the last clue was a puzzle piece (as you suggested) inside the balloon.
When the kids popped their team balloon they realized they needed to come together with the rest of the teams to construct the last clue. They loved the race, the competition, but in the end they were all together as they went -shovels in hand - for the treasure. The treasure was buried in a plastic box in the woods.....amongst all the shiny stuff (beads and gold coins) was a pinata of a treasure chest. The pinata was hung from a tree... and every one had a chance to take a shot at busting it open. Parents loved it.....kids loved it more... they were focused, challenged, excited, and busy.....it took a total of about 55 minutes. Could have gone on longer...but we were a bit generous with the help.. and the kids were a lot smarter and resourceful than I expected.
Good luck with your web site. It was really helpful.
Jamie Jensen, New York, USA
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Hi Nikki
We had a fantastic time! The treasure hunt went very well, in an idyllic setting on the beach here in Phuket, Thailand and kids loved it - when they found the treasure they were going crazy. Here is a link to the pics ....
The whole concept was very easy to follow - because the kids were only around 4 years old, I added pictures to each port, so they could follow the pictures to the next place, and modified some of the challenges. All of the parents said how great it was and a fabulous time was had by all. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone who wants to do something a bit different for their next party. Thanks very much for a great product!
Kind regards
Krista Hunter, Phuket, Thailand
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Our Scavenger Hunt was a huge success! Lots of fun was had by all.
We provide this dinner once a year and always try really change things up.
I will contact you if I need your assistance again. Thank You.
Kris Vandenplas, Wisconsin, USA
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Nikki,
The treasure hunt was a great success.... I adapted your plans. I had about 12 8 year old boys and girls.... I put them into teams of 3. Each team had a color,... so the clues led to colored poker chips (with the teams corresponding color) which they then found and turned in to get their next clue (each team had an official "clue giver" who held all that team's clues in numeric order)......
For little people this made management of clues and adult supervision much easier. After every two successful clues...the team had a physical challenge ( for example, diving into our pool....swimming through some hoops and picking up gold coins)....The "clue givers" were official judges of the challenges and distributed next clues. The last physical challenge involved a relay race with balloons....the last clue was a puzzle piece (as you suggested) inside the balloon.
When the kids popped their team balloon they realized they needed to come together with the rest of the teams to construct the last clue. They loved the race, the competition, but in the end they were all together as they went -shovels in hand - for the treasure. The treasure was buried in a plastic box in the woods.....amongst all the shiny stuff (beads and gold coins) was a pinata of a treasure chest. The pinata was hung from a tree... and every one had a chance to take a shot at busting it open. Parents loved it.....kids loved it more... they were focused, challenged, excited, and busy.....it took a total of about 55 minutes. Could have gone on longer...but we were a bit generous with the help.. and the kids were a lot smarter and resourceful than I expected.
Good luck with your web site. It was really helpful.
Jamie Jensen, New York, USA
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Nikki- The scavenger hunt is tonight. we are so excited. We are hosting a New Years Eve Party for our oldest daughters soccer team and their parents. Each family will be a team and will have two hours to complete the hunt through our town. The last item on the hunt requires each family to visit their favorite pizza place and bring back a large pizza to share with every one. My husband and I complied a list on 36 items that need to be gathered, made or have a picture taken of it. Most of things have to pertain to things that relate to the soccer team. I will let you know how it goes. Thank you for all your helpful information.
Tanya Stoney, North Carolina, USA
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Our Scavenger Hunt was a huge success! Lots of fun was had by all.
We provide this dinner once a year and always try really change things up.
I will contact you if I need your assistance again. Thank You.
Kris Vandenplas, Wisconsin, USA
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The video scavenger hunt was such a success with the kids (17-18 yrs of age). They thought it was going to be stupid but they haven't stop talking about it. Their videos were hilarious! Some of the things I made them do:
Order an ice tea from Starbucks with two straws stuck in the nose (I provided money)
Sit on a whoopee cushion next to someone in a bookstore without showing the whoopee cushion
One person must wear a dog collar and leash and carry a bone in the mouth while crawling through a major pet store (other person holding leash and petting the head) - I provided the items from the dollar store
There is a long list of things they had to do. The best part was seeing just how funny these kids were. I got to see a different side of them. I never knew my son was so funny or that he could actually dance!
Thanks,
Julianne Lewis, California, USA
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We had the party last night. Around 20 something seventh graders with a few other ages thrown in. They had a blast. We used our yard and a neighbor's yard for the play area (not too big, but some room to run) and buried the treasure on the edge of the property. The planning was relatively easy with your planner. The kids hadn't done anything similar at any other party they've been to - which is exactly what my daughter wanted. The checklist was a blessing - it helped me make sure I had everything ready... I think the party was a great success.
The game started at 5:45 and they were completely finished by 6:30 - which was much faster than I had anticipated. But it worked out fine.
The treasure hunt was a great idea and your planner certainly helped make it possible. I never would have found the time to coordinate all the timetables, challenges, clues and instructions without it. It was worth my investment.
Sheri Williams, Montana, USA
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I ordered your Treasure Hunt for Halloween about an hour ago and I am so impressed!!! I have a big Halloween party every year and I'm always looking for something new to entertain the kids – I can't wait to play this Treasure Hunt!! Thank you for saving me so much time and effort – this is worth every penny for that reason alone. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!
Lorraine Turkel, Florida, USA
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Hi Nikki,
Treasure Hunt was a hit, thanks. We had five stations that were in our back yard, front yard, neighbours and out in the kids hide-out in the bush behind our house. They had to do a basketball challenge, measure the driveway (28m), a crossword challenge, word unscramble and a balancing challenge.
Instead of having a competition to be first to find the treasure, we had two teams and one had to solve the riddle to find a map that lead them to the treasure, the other team had to solve their riddle to find a map that lead them to the key that unlocked the treasure. This way there was no losers and no unhappy party goers.
The treasure and the key (which was in an old gumboot) were hidden in the bush behind our house. (Not just one bush, I mean bushland, sorry, I used Aussie term).
When they had the treasure and the key they met in the hide-out to open the treasure. The treasure was filled with fake pearl necklaces, fake gold necklaces, glass stones (they were meant to be diamonds) and gold coins (chocolate filled).
Thanks again
Tania Keenan, NSW Australia
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Nikki,
The treasure hunt was a great success.... I adapted your plans. I had about 12 8 year old boys and girls.... I put them into teams of 3. Each team had a color,... so the clues led to colored poker chips (with the teams corresponding color) which they then found and turned in to get their next clue (each team had an official "clue giver" who held all that team's clues in numeric order)......
For little people this made management of clues and adult supervision much easier. After every two successful clues...the team had a physical challenge ( for example, diving into our pool....swimming through some hoops and picking up gold coins)....The "clue givers" were official judges of the challenges and distributed next clues. The last physical challenge involved a relay race with balloons....the last clue was a puzzle piece (as you suggested) inside the balloon.
When the kids popped their team balloon they realized they needed to come together with the rest of the teams to construct the last clue. They loved the race, the competition, but in the end they were all together as they went -shovels in hand - for the treasure. The treasure was buried in a plastic box in the woods.....amongst all the shiny stuff (beads and gold coins) was a pinata of a treasure chest. The pinata was hung from a tree... and every one had a chance to take a shot at busting it open. Parents loved it.....kids loved it more... they were focused, challenged, excited, and busy.....it took a total of about 55 minutes. Could have gone on longer...but we were a bit generous with the help.. and the kids were a lot smarter and resourceful than I expected.
Good luck with your web site. It was really helpful.
Jamie Jensen, New York, USA
More details on a great Childrens Treasure Hunt here
We are planning the hunt for May - the last day of school for my 11 yr old daughter there will be 10-15 children for the hunt and they are very excited!, We have a 75 acre farm so the hunt will keep them busy finding the clues and especially the treasure!
My daughter loves pirates, and the whole concept of treasure hunting, can you give me some more ideas on what to put in the treasure box?
I plan on burying the treasure by an old cabin that's been here since before Oklahoma was a state! I call it blackbeard's haunted hideout! Makes things more interesting for the kids!
Rob Waddle, Oklahoma USA
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Hi Nikki, After your email I took some time to check out the Instant Treasure Hunt. It is fantastic! I'm really excited to get started becaue you gave me new ideas. Sorry about the previous email. I just didn't take the time I should have. I will let you know how the hunt turns out after Easter. Thanks again, Mavis
Mavis Mercier, Wisconsin, USA
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Nikki-
I planned our treasure hunt for our Family Reunion. Our reunion this year had a Western Theme, so our Treasure Hunt was based on a train robbery. Each team had a "gang" name . We had 6 teams of five The Dalton Gang, the Hole in the Wall Gang etc... I had everyone pick their team then they all had to draw different colored bandannas out of an over sized novelty cowboy hat. What ever color bandanna they got was what gang they were in. I thought the idea of a family reunion was to get to know your entire family and this way we just didn't stay with the cousins we were familiar with, it was a neat "trick" and very funny! Each station was a train depot and they all had Western town names, Laredo, Death Valley, Dodge City etc..
At each station the tasks also stayed within our theme. We had hoppy balls that looked like horseys, there was a course they had to bounce along (it was so funny!), stick horse races, one station they had to apply a brand tattoo and wear a cowboy hat, it was all simple, fast and FUN. The final clue was placed on a swing at the campsite and the swing was shaped like a horse (that wasn't planned, it just happened!). The treasure wasn't buried, but hidden under a HUGE bush so the winning team had to actually burrow under the foliage to find the chest. The chest was a replica of a train chest, complete with a big ole rusty padlock.
The winning gang had to return to the shelter house to open the chest after we had gathered all the teams back. The treasure was play money, gold nugget gum, bubble gum foil coins and foil chocolate coins. I also had suckers shaped like stars, and cactus and cowboy boots, and mardigras beads. I curled metallic ribbon and when they opened the chest there were a lot of oohhh's and ahhh's. This game was a BLAST and everyone was talking about it, I can't wait to see the pictures! It was a lot of prep time, but it was SO worth it. My cousin and I are talking about doing a version for Homecoming this fall!
Thanks so much.
Debbie Leaming, Oklahoma, USA
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Thank you - "It was the best birthday - -EVER" - my 15 year old had a total of 6 girls and they went around the neighborhood to 6 different house to complete the tasks. We had the party last week and the girls at school are still talking about it. Thank you sooooo much.
Siobhan Fox, Florida, USA
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The treasure hunt is done and the kids had fun. Your suggestions were very good and I think we will do another treasure hunt in the future with our other kids.
Thanks
Toni Hudson, Texas USA
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Hi Nikki,
Yes, I have downloaded the Treasure Hunt Party game Planner and bonus gifts. I actually downloaded them right after I ordered the product. It was great. Very fast and very easy. I have briefly read thru the Planner and I think it will make my next Treasure Hunt Party MUCH easier. I am planning one for my daughter's birthday which is not until February so I have plenty of time. I have done a couple of treasure hunts prior to this and they were ALOT of work. The first two I did were like yours where there were stations to go to and some kind of challenge to perform. The last one I did was for my daughter's birthday this past February. It was a Harry Potter Treasure Hunt party and I did not have a lot of time so I just did riddles/cryptograms that led them to another clue in the house and eventually to the treasure.
I like the idea of stations and challenges, however. I think the party in Feb 09 will be much better than the one I did last year. My daughter will be turning 11 in February just to give you an idea of the age group. Last year I found the girls to be quite sharp which is why I purchased the adults/any age group planner. They all really love treasure hunts so this may become an annual event.
Saroja Raman, Maryland, USA
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Dear Nikki,
We had a wonderful "Americal Halloween Party" in the midst of Austria (Europe). I teach english for kids with a program called "Show Me The World" and like to do some extracurriculum activities with the kids. I tought them about the jack-o-lantern and where the name halloween comes from. we made stuffed apples, i brought pumpkin pie and after the scavenger hund we broke the jack-o-lantern piniata and had a great time.
The scavenger party planner I found to be very useful, would you have anything on treasure hunts as well?
best wishes,
Genia Lackey, Austria
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Hi Nikki
We had a fantastic time! The treasure hunt went very well, in an idyllic setting on the beach here in Phuket, Thailand and kids loved it - when they found the treasure they were going crazy. Here is a link to the pics ....
The whole concept was very easy to follow - because the kids were only around 4 years old, I added pictures to each port, so they could follow the pictures to the next place, and modified some of the challenges. All of the parents said how great it was and a fabulous time was had by all. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this to anyone who wants to do something a bit different for their next party. Thanks very much for a great product!
Kind regards
Krista Hunter, Phuket, Thailand
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I made a game for Easter. I do it every year, but your website helped me tremendously!! It has become a tradition in our house that the Easter Bunny leaves clues throughout the house for the children to find
their Easter baskets. I used to spend so much time making the clues, but your website cut down on the time tremendously.
Katie Ohlmann, Indiana, USA
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Hi Nikki
Thanks for being so prompt in replying to the problem I had downloading the e book. I used some ideas from the e book and it gave me a good idea on how to plan the party. I then modified it to suit our party, which we held around our local area.
My son loved the party and I think his friends will be talking about it at school today!
Yvette Atkinson, Auckland, New Zealand
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Nikki,
We did our treasure hunt for a Halloween party we hosted. It was a huge success. I had 14 boys, ages 5-10, and we did it in the house. I spent countless hours after my kids went to bed getting prepared. I couldn't wait and was hoping the kids would have as much fun doing it as I had planning. I had great parent helpers. Surprisingly, the winners were the "little" guys team.
You are a genius!!!! As a non-creative thinker, I could never have come up with something so much fun. The only major change I made was the bobbing for apples station. I felt it would be too messy, and not so sanitary. Instead, I had them remove some "body parts" from the patient in the Operation game. They got a big kick out of that. Otherwise, I followed the Halloween version very closely.
Thanks again!
Gretchen Birch, ohio, USA
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I ordered your Treasure Hunt for Halloween about an hour ago and I am so impressed!!! I have a big Halloween party every year and I'm always looking for something new to entertain the kids – I can't wait to play this Treasure Hunt!! Thank you for saving me so much time and effort – this is worth every penny for that reason alone. Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!!!
Lorraine Turkel, Florida, USA
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The scavenger hunt that I'm holding is scheduled to occur on 18 July. I'll let you know how it goes. I got a lot of good ideas from the materials.
Sandra Buckley, Massachusetts, USA
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Our treasure hunt took place last weekend and was a success. The book helped a lot and everyone was impressed with the logistics of the game. Thank you for a well designed book.
Patrick Racine, Ontario Canada
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Hi Nikki- Overall things were great -- It really was fun and I'm looking for an opportunity to do another Treasure Hunt. I ended with each of 4 teams finding one-fourth of a Treasure Map -- they all had to work together to get a Treasure Chest filled with Goodie Bags. Thanks, this was great!
Janet Brewe, New Hampshire USA
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I am in Montreal, NC, USA planning a birthday party for my grandson and his friends ages 10-12, though some younger brothers and sisters and parents will probably join in. I am the grandmother writing on the grandfathers e-mail. We live on the side of a mountain with steep slopes, lots of stone steps, a creek, a large goldfish pond and lots of good places to hide things. The party is an annual occasion with most of the children running wild, chasing each other, in what appears to an adult to be an aimless fashion. A few stay inside quietly playing board games. So...
this year the treasure hunt seems like a good idea and maybe all will engaged. I think they are definitely old enough! The party is scheduled for Sunday, June 5. I like the fact that you are interested in feed back and so enthusiastic about what you do! Sincerely,
Gale Hussey, North Carolina USA
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Hi Nikki!
It went very well. Because we are a heritage building, I was able to find lots of unusual and interesting questions. For example there are pictures of the classes on the three floors dating back to 1907. One question was how many colours had the double front doors been (class pictures were always taken on the front steps). There are many facts/stories lining the walls up to the attic so I was able to pick out a few interesting questions from there. Anyway the students had a blast. I had also created a treasure map puzzle and as they searched for answers to the scavenger hunt they were also looking for puzzle pieces. At the end they put all of the pieces together and there was a riddle about where to find "treasure". They loved it!
Beverly Ruberg, British Columbia, Canada
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Our treasure hunt takes place in Indiana on July 15. It is a party for church staff leadership and their families. Guests range in age from 6 months to 65 years!
I love your ebook so far. No questions yet, but I won't hesitate to e-mail if questions come up.
Kim Bickel, Indiana USA
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Hi Nikki! We had our treasure hunt yesterday. It was awesome. The kids had a blast. Age ranges were from 7 to 10. Since my daughter had a dog theme going, I changed the team names to The Pink Poodles, the Golden Doodles, and the Blue Bulldogs. Kids laughed at the names and were proud to be one of the 3. I also structured the activities you suggested to include the dog theme. For ex, the toilet paper wrapping... I pretended that one person was a hairless dog and the kids needed to put fur on by covering themselves with the toilet paper. Then they would create a furry doggy! Also, instead of a pirate flag, we made a dog flag by putting dog stickers, words to describe puppies, and drew bones. As for the treasure, we actually buried it in our yard and gave them shovels. They had a ball! Not only was it fun for the kids, it was fun for the adults watching the kids run all over the yard to complete the 6 stations.
Thanks so much for a great party idea! This is a keeper!! What a memorable experience!
Sherri Shaner, Ohio, USA
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Nikki! You're the best! Thanks so much!
Rachel Lawry, Alabama, USA
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Dear Nikki,
I just came home from my scavenger hunt party and wanted to shoot an email to you before I got too busy.
This was the first time anyone in my family participated in a scavenger hunt. The occasion was my father's 75th birthday. Your materials were invaluable in sparking my imagination and setting the ground rules for my game.
Because the participants were all family (ranging from teenagers up through to my 75 y/o dad), I decided to do a "This is Your Life" scavenger hunt. I've attached the details for you. While most of it won't make sense to you, I think you'll get the general idea. I found your materials to be a great source of ideas for me to create my own unique game. I found the structure and rules that you suggested particularly helpful.
I had three teams with 5 people in each team. Everyone had a fantastic time! We downloaded the pictures into one digital album as an added gift for my dad. He said it was the most memorable and wonderful birthday he ever had! Thank you for the great ideas. I can't wait to do the next one!
Sandra Buckley, Massachusetts, USA
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It was a great success and the girls (18) HAD A WONDERFUL TIME. Couldn't have done it without your treasure hunt game/ideas.
A beautiful way to spend a fall evening in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Denise Cox, Alberta, Canada
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