Hi Nikki,
Thanks so much for your info! We had a beach party for 3 graduates with all ages attending and had a great time.
Since we weren't in a familiar area, I made a list of "Something (with) ______." The small kids had a wonderful time and felt very included.
With appreciation,
Gail Fletcher, 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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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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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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This was designed for the participants to buy a gift for the birthday girl, during their hunt. We were at a upscale outdoor mall.
I divided the teams into two groups, and changed the order of things on the second list so the teams would not run into each other.
This took one team 45 minutes, and the other team and hour and 25 minutes. We waited for them at lunch, while sipping on champagne... I received thank yous, and gushing kudos from everyone, they all had a fantastic time.
Sincerely,
Mary Guleserian, USA
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Nikki,
Thanks for your suggestions I'm well on my way to piecing together a custom treasure hunt for my stepdaughter's sweet sixteen.
Thanks for all your help.
Best Regards
Adrienne Loder, California, USA
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Hi Nikki,
We had the Halloween treasure hunt party the day after we ordered your planner. It was my son's 12th birthday party and he complained that he didn't want to play any games, but I didn't want 10 children running through the house for 3 hours. Our party was held in an old convent in Pennsylvania, USA. The guests were aged from 6 to 35. We had a Halloween theme, since Shane's birthday is October 31st. The guests had to search for Uncle's Seymour's Last Will & Testament.
The rooms were named Mad Scientist's Lab, The Doomed Room, The Porthole to the End of the Universe, The Asylum, The Chamber of Horrors and The
Graveyard. We followed all your suggestions for the challenges, teaming older players with younger ones. The puzzle pieces led the players to the chapel (we have a real chapel with stained glass windows and oak pews in our home), where we had hidden the Last Will & Testament with directions to Uncle Seymour's most treasured worldly possessions.
My two sons, my husband and I dressed in Halloween costumes and supervised the rooms. Even after one team had located the treasure, the others were having so much fun that they asked if they could complete the remaining challenges (the one with the peas seemed to be everyone's favorite). Everyone had a great time, but what made me happiest was that my son kept thanking me the next day, telling me how much he loved me for throwing such a great party for him. Thank you for the great plans - they were well worth the money!
Gratefully,
Ildiko Mulligan, Pennsylvania 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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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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It was a lot of fun for my daughter and her friends (8th bday). We did a water balloon toss station, maze/jump rope/run around cones station, word find station, question station, basketball (must make 5 baskets each) station, and a math station. We have a very large field with a section of woods where we buried a lock box with treasures in it. It all went very well with the exception of my hiding of the map the night before and not being able to find it until minutes before the party!!!!!oopps. The only thing I would do differently is have a second and third price for each of the teams to win something, though they shared nicely.
Thanks, it was worth the purchase and we will probably use again with adult friends.
DeAnn Steinhorst, New York, 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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The kids loved the treasure hunt, and it was great to have the clues age-appropriate.
Thanks!
Elizabeth Dessen, Pennsylvania, USA
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Nikki,
Hi, this Laresa Depew. Tonight, Wednesday, I went on the site and planned the treasure hunt stuff for Thursday afternoon. It was so easy, and so much better than racking my tired brain to put one together. I can not wait to use it on Thursday. I also looked at the games and loved them. Over the weekend I will work on the magic show, for next week also. Thank you so much for all the hard work that you did. I will let you know how it went.
Laresa Depew, Missouri, USA
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Hi Nikki, I did log on and enjoyed the clues. What a time saver. Can't wait to play around with it some more. So many wonderful combinations.....
Trish Nickerson, New Mexico USA
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Nikki,
Thanks for your suggestions I'm well on my way to piecing together a custom treasure hunt for my stepdaughter's sweet sixteen.
Thanks for all your help.
Best Regards
Adrienne Loder, California, USA
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Dear Nikki,
We are planning a Block Party at our church and your ideas really started my creative juices flowing!! Here are some "stations" we are considering as a way to involve the whole family in some fun together. Thanks so much for your great ideas! The planning/organizing part was THE BEST!
(These are some ideas for station activities. The activities on the lists would be shuffled around so everyone does not head for the same station at the same time. A few simple prizes would be awarded using the completed papers for a drawing. Older children could help younger ones and families could do the activities together. Volunteers would place simple bug stickers on the papers to show that a station was completed. Some of the stations are easy enough for one person to handle two activities. Each station would be clearly marked with its name and directions on how to complete the activity. Nobody complained about the bug theme so I just ran with it!!)
Nothings Bugging Me!!
Family Activity Stations
Move to each station in the order listed on your paper. Complete the activity and receive a sticker from the "Pest Control Officer". Turn in your completed paper for our prize drawing.
Ladybug Station Make a bug cookie
Buzzing Bee Station Sing a bug related song
Exterminator Station Use a spray bottle(Pressurized) to knock over
the "bugs" (Empty bottles decorated like bugs)
Bug Infested Swamp Cross the "swamp" by walking on a
plank(a long board) and hopping over bugs
Bug Tattoo Station Choose your favorite bug for a tattoo
Fly Swatter Station Move (plastic)bugs to a bucket using a fly
swatter
Fill the Hive Use a paper cup to fill your "hive"(small bowl)
with "honey"(water)
Bug Search Find at least 5 plastic bugs hiding in
the church lawn
Pat Swanson, Minnesota, USA
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Hi - We had a great party last night! We decided to have four stations with four groups of two boys (ages 11 and 12). This was for a sleepover so when the kids sat down for dinner they each had either a red, green, orange, or blue flashlight with them. Their flashlight determined the teams. Also, each team had it's own had unique treasure maps so they would all win the same treasure eventually. Armed with the map pieces and a clue on the back, they all found their treasure of nerf guns and then spent at least an hour outside playing after the treasure hunt. The boys had a great time and the structure your documents provided for the treasure hunt was really helpful. After the boys traisped through the woods and found their treasure, one boy shouted "This is the best party ever!". I was thrilled and my son had a great time. Thanks for your help!
Alison McLaughlin, Massachusetts, USA
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Thank You for your quick response. I will definatley recommend to anyone I now planning a party interested in scavenger hunts.
Jodi Hoines, North Carolina, 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,
Hi I am doing great, having lots of fun planning anticipating the hunt.
I would love to send you a report of how it goes, if it goes as well as the scavenger hunt we had it will be a blast and I'm sure it will. And I'll send a couple photos too.
Our hunt is the 14th so I need to get back to work on some of the props I am using. Thank you so much for all your help and wonderful games
Brenda Morgan, West Virginia
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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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Nikki! You're the best! Thanks so much!
Rachel Lawry, Alabama, USA
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Hi Nikki,
our birthday scavenger hunt was a GREAT success. Your material gave me lots to choose from and I was grateful. I used the treasure map for the invitations and rolled them up to hand out. The list was on the treasure map and it was 8 items to look for or info to find and 8 were photos to take to make memories & proof of it getting done. It was a teen girl team against teen guy team and the playing field was the city of Wichita, KS so they had a certain time to be back complete or not and the one with the most done was the winner. They all came back with wonderful stories and had lots of fun. I learned though that the guy against girl wasn't the best cause the guys were too COOL to do some of the list, but the things they did they had FUN! Whereas if they had mixed teams the girls would have persuaded them into doing everything.
While planning this double birthday party it has prompted other ideas one for our leadership Christmas party at church promoting unity & working together to accomplish a task.
Also I have talked with our the coordinator who is up for the idea of a scavenger hunt during next summer's Family Reunion. Should be loads of fun.
Thanks for the great info! I am going to try to send a photo let me know if it makes it.
Dena Hudson, Kansas 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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Nikki
Here are some details of our successful treasure hunt.
It was for our church, at a farm, during our Fall Harvest Festival. We wanted a harvest theme, but not so much a Halloween theme. We also wanted large motor activities so small children would participate in the whole thing. And, we wanted a few team building activities since families were encouraged to sign up as a team. So, our 6 stations were:
1. Ship's Cove: each member of the team had to walk the plank looking backwards through a pair of binoculars.
2. Walleye River: each member was given a "stepping stone", and they had to get to a certain point only using the stones.
3. Spider's Web: We created a 4' x 4' spider web out of twine and attached bells. Each team picked 2 people to pass through the web without ringing the bells.
4. Hide Away Cove: We hid 15 stamps, and they had to find 10 of them and stamp a piece of paper
5. Mummy Cave: We wrapped one person in the group with Toilet Paper
6. Apple Lake: One apple per team mate needed to be bobbed. Not everyone had to bob, someone else could bob for you.
I gave everyone an envelope with their starting spots. As they completed the stations, the station judges would give them a stamp on their envelope (we had 6 station judges) and they had to be completed in the correct order.
We had 9 groups of 4-8 people
We buried 1st, 2nd and 3rd place treasures, and gave them each a map when they completed the journey. Everyone else got a glow stick when they completed.
It was great watching the families really enjoy themselves! They were running from point to point (kids dragging laughing parents) and working together to complete the tasks. They had to think and
challenge themselves a little, and we had a 100% smile-success rate. What a fantastic idea, and thank you for all your work. We'll be using it again. I think I just set a new standard at our yearly Fall
Harvest Festival. I'm already planning the next one!
Blessings,
Rebecca Walsh, USA
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Hi Nikki,
Our treasure hunt on the 4th of July was a lot of fun. We had 35 kids(and adults) running all over the yard in the rain.!! After they solved their riddles the hunt then took them into the woods with compasses and shovels and they had to find the "buried" treasure. It certainly was a memorable day--thanks for the help in getting me organized.
Sharon Kloter, Connecticut, USA
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The treasure hunt was great. I downloaded the new adobe version, and then it worked.! Every thing went smoothly and the boys loved it! I will be doing more treasure hunts in the future!
Thanks,
Laura Morreale, New Jersey, USA
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Hi, Nikki! I have received the party planner The party will take place in Concord, North Carolina, USA, and it will be on August 5th 2006. The occasion is our 40th wedding anniversary party. The age range, I think, will be 'no kids', but I'm not sure about that, yet. And the theme of the treasure hunt is your pirate theme! We think it's going to be a lot of fun!
Judy Quickel, North Carolina 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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Hi Nikki
I just wanted to give you an update on my Scavenger Hunt. It was a great sucess. Thanks for all of your help. We had one team come dressed as the scoobie doo gang and they even painted the van to look like the mystery machine. I have attached a few photos for you to see.
Everyone said that I had to do it again next year. Thanks again it was a blast
Kelly LaPorte, 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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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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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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I'm a procrastinator and the treasure hunt party is tomorrow night!!! So no time to write much now - but, I'll try to let you know how it all went! I am loving the package and it is working out nicely - so far - so good! THANKS! And, thanks for having something IMMEDIATELY available for a procrastinator like me! It's for a group of freshman girls and I think it will be tons of fun! THANKS!
Lynne Allenspach, Montana USA
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Nikki,
We are planning a company picnic on July 30 of this year in Morrison, Illinois, USA. We usually have around 175 people there with ages ranging from 0-70. I'm sure not everyone will want to play, so everything should work out well.
I read the book over once on Friday, but today I will actually sit down with a committee and start planning.
Thank you for support!
Christy Hackett, Illinois USA
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My kids love the treasure hunts. I am getting ready to print out the THIRD on today!!
Michele Hippensteel, Pennsylvania USA
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Nikki,
The party started off great until a group of the kids ran into a security guard who insisted that it was against mall policy and would not let them continue. I had already checked the mall website and code of conduct as well as spoke to some of the retail stores so that they knew what was going
on and all were ok with it. I did not call the mall office which I should have done but the stores were very open to the hunt so I saw no reason to do that as well. The security guard would not let me speak to his supervisor nor was there any mall management there on a Saturday. I gave up and took
the kids bowling but the kids loved the idea and insisted on figuring out the clues that they had not gotten to yet. I have since spoken to mall management, it was not against mall policy and they are sending out apologies to all kids involved as well as rescheduling the hunt and giving the kids gift cards and other things to help make up for the rude, stupid security guard.
Here is a list of the clues and activities that they were supposed to do. I had made a scrapbook with the clues in it for each kid and left places for the pictures that they were supposed to take during the hunt. There were 4 groups of kids and each group had the same clues for the first half of the
hunt but were all in a different order so that they would not be running into each other and such. We were meeting halfway and switching teams so that they could hang out with different kids for the second part of the hunt. The kids loved it and were very disappointed with the security guard (he is no longer employed there as well).
Your information helped me stay organized and I do appreciate it!
Thanks,
Cindi Brackins, North Carolina, USA
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Hi Nikki,
Our treasure hunt on the 4th of July was a lot of fun. We had 35 kids(and adults) running all over the yard in the rain.!! After they solved their riddles the hunt then took them into the woods with compasses and shovels and they had to find the "buried" treasure. It certainly was a memorable day--thanks for the help in getting me organized.
Sharon Kloter, Connecticut, USA
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Hi Nikki. Well everyone had a blast with the Cruise scavenger hunt !! I took some questions right off your list and then using your other items as suggestions... I went on line with Royal Caribbean and printed off each decks floor plan and used that to help me get information. Thank you for all of your help !
JoAnn Seckus, Illinois USA
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Nikki,
The party is happening this Sunday coming. At the moment we have 18 very excited 10 & 11 year old boys looking forward to the upcoming treasure hunt.
The invitations were a huge hit. I hand delivered in the darkness of night, washed wine bottles. The outers were wrapped in a printed map with a poem that I had made up -
"This bottle comes to you on shore,
Floating 11 years from days of yore
.......................
It went on to say that the recipient of the bottle had to work through a series of clues to work out where and when the party was and who it was for. Inside the bottle I had tightly rolled another larger
map which had all of the clues. I had also wrapped some scull and crossbones fabric around the neck of the bottle (all of the kids have been asked to bring this to the party on the day and they can wear this twisted with some coloured fabric that I will hand out as soon as we have selected the teams as per your instructions eg Black brigands will get black fabric and twist with the scull and cross bone, Blue, Yellow, Orange etc)
Also tied to the neck of the bottle was some fairly roughly hacked paper, which had the child's name and his pirate name for the day eg Mr. Peter Piper, Pirate name - One eyed Scurvy dog
The feedback that I have had from children and parents has been sensational. Now just hoping that I can pull the party together so that all goes smoothly and the kids have fun.
Best regards
Anita Sawrey, Victoria, Australia
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Hi Nikki
- Yes, I used your treasure hunt ideas for my friend's retirement pirate party. We live on the Chesapeake Bay and had the party at a beach club on the water. It was absolutely the best fun ever and the highlight of the party. People haven't stopped talking about it for weeks now. I designed the challenges to be like the ones on "Survivor," one of our favorite TV shows.
There was a "Walk the Plank" challenge, (a board on sawhorses over a kid's swimming pool); a "Shooting Gallery" challenge, (shooting cans with a slingshot); a "Toss the Anchor" challenge, ( who can throw it the farthest); a "Peg Leg Pickup" challenge, (2 people blindfolded with legs tied together have to be directed by the 3rd team member to pick up scattered items), a "Pirate Word Scramble" challenge, (unscramble pirate terminology); and a "Pirate Memory" challenge, (30 seconds to study 25 items, then remember as many as you can). I made the clues for the map location rather cryptic--some of the players were teachers and scientists.
They all ended up in a little secluded patch of pine trees on the beach where the treasure was buried (in an actual chest). Three teams actually reached the right spot around the same time --I wish we had thought to have a video camera to document it all! The treasure chest was filled with fake gold coins, a gold plate, silver candlesticks and tons of mardi gras necklaces.
I spent A LOT of time (all enjoyable) designing the hunt based on your ideas and it couldn't have been more successful and memorable. People have already asked me to do another one for next year--sounds like our pirate party will become an annual event! Again, thanks for your great ideas.
Jan Werner, Maryland, USA
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The scavenger hunt was great! We had a huge candy bar for the team with the most points. Gum for the best turkey. Silly String for the silliest poem. Cotton candy for the sweetest good deed. Diapers filled with candy for the best babysitter stuff.
My sister lives across the street, and she took all the little brothers and sisters, and had an indoor scavenger hunt with them! Fun!
They all had fun! And, the parents had a great time! While they were gone, we had time to build a fire and go get the pizza. Perfect! Thank you for all your help!
Amy Evans, Texas USA
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Nikki,
We had out Pirate party on Saturday the 4th. The treasure hunt was a big hit.
I had my 14 year old daughter work on the instant treasure hunt game for me since I was running out of time getting the party ready.
We had 9 families with 1-5 kids per family. Lots of bodies. The parents had to participate with their
kids. Everyone said it was a nice way to involve them in the theme of the party. They all ended up with wooden treasure chests full of toys, candy & mini rum bottle (for mom and dad).
This was so easy, even for my daughter to handle. It was a great hit. And everyone was so
impressed with my daughter for putting together such a big project.
We will definitely use the game again.
Ann Kruger, Oregon, USA
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Hello Nikki,
Thanks for the e-mails and suggestions. I have enjoyed your treasure hunt ideas and games and gave them a try at my daughters birthday party. She is 9 and the girls had a ball. We had a backwards party and it was definately the hit of the party. I also run a kids program at a guest ranch in Colorado and look forward to using many of your ideas with them. I have done many "on skis" treasure hunts and look forward to incoporating many of your ideas with my own outdoor twists. It is a nice way to spark new ideas as well as using the ones you provided.
Thank you for the follow up!
Kelli, Colorado, 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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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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Nikki,
Hi I am doing great, having lots of fun planning anticipating the hunt.
I would love to send you a report of how it goes, if it goes as well as the scavenger hunt we had it will be a blast and I'm sure it will. And I'll send a couple photos too.
Our hunt is the 14th so I need to get back to work on some of the props I am using. Thank you so much for all your help and wonderful games
Brenda Morgan, West Virginia
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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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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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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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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,
The party is happening this Sunday coming. At the moment we have 18 very excited 10 & 11 year old boys looking forward to the upcoming treasure hunt.
The invitations were a huge hit. I hand delivered in the darkness of night, washed wine bottles. The outers were wrapped in a printed map with a poem that I had made up -
"This bottle comes to you on shore,
Floating 11 years from days of yore
.......................
It went on to say that the recipient of the bottle had to work through a series of clues to work out where and when the party was and who it was for. Inside the bottle I had tightly rolled another larger
map which had all of the clues. I had also wrapped some scull and crossbones fabric around the neck of the bottle (all of the kids have been asked to bring this to the party on the day and they can wear this twisted with some coloured fabric that I will hand out as soon as we have selected the teams as per your instructions eg Black brigands will get black fabric and twist with the scull and cross bone, Blue, Yellow, Orange etc)
Also tied to the neck of the bottle was some fairly roughly hacked paper, which had the child's name and his pirate name for the day eg Mr. Peter Piper, Pirate name - One eyed Scurvy dog
The feedback that I have had from children and parents has been sensational. Now just hoping that I can pull the party together so that all goes smoothly and the kids have fun.
Best regards
Anita Sawrey, Victoria, Australia
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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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