Lost Worlds Treasure Hunt IdeasThe treasure hunt ideas on this page are for finding two kinds of treasures. One is the real buried treasure kids will unearth, filled with shimmery, sparkling “real” items from lost worlds not found in every junk toy and candy aisle. (Yet they’re inexpensive).
The other is the inner treasure found amidst group activities set up to make everyone feel individually valued while contributing towards a common group goal. The childhood imagination ignited by these treasure hunt ideas are also part of the inner treasure to be found. I had so much fun with these treasure hunt ideas with my own kids and their group of friends. People praise and remember treasure hunt parties when they're done right Nikki Wilson, professional party planner and author of our affiliate downloadable, Treasure Hunt Party Game, gives many examples at this link of how people of all ages love treasure hunts when done properly. Guests go on and on about how much fun they had. Overview of what treasure hunts are: What? You haven’t heard the story? "Pirates captured a royal ship and stowed jewels, gems, golden nuggets, royal crowns, the sea captain’s journals, princesses’ diaries, the queens jewels, and other treasures of a lost world. Then, the ship went down before the pirates could save the treasure, although legend says the pirates’ faithful parrots survived and remain with the treasure. You have just found the first clue to this treasure. For the second clue…” The first clue tells where the second clue is. The second tells where the third is, and so on until at last a final clue leads to the treasure.
(As with all Great Group Activities articles, this article on treasure hunt ideas is
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from reproduction by others (electronically, print or other means.) But adults are welcome to use the treasure hunt story provided here for offline one-time party use if they wish) 
Ideally our treasure chest would be antique metal with a traditional arched lid. In a pinch, select a second-hand cardboard box from a grocery store, and choose antique metallic gift wrap from a gift and party store. Glue the gift wrap to the sides and lid of the box. Oriental Trading Company also has inexpensive cardboard treasure chests. An easy and clean way to bury a treasure is with dried leaves or dried lawn clippings. Make sure the leaves or clippings are spread around the area in various other piles, and try to find a natural indention to put the treasure in, so the buried treasure location isn’t an obvious large pile of leaves or grass standing alone. Treasure Hunt Ideas for Filling the Chest Want a treasure chest filled with real gemstones, sparkling and glittering gold, silver, jewels, and forgotten treasures from lost worlds? But one that doesn’t empty your own bank’s treasure? No junk item treasure hunt ideas here! Craft stores specialize in bulk quantities of items at lower prices. Search for the following items that come in bulk at your nearest craft store: 
Polished stones. Boys and girls alike absolutely love intriguing, pretty rocks, and when polished they become beautiful gemstones for collecting and trading. Craft stores sell these by the pound or bag. They’re far more expensive when sold in smaller quantities in kids’ toy stores. Very popular for more authentic treasure hunt ideas. Pirate parrots. Thank goodness your explorers found the treasure just in time to rescue the pirates’ parrots that were accidentally locked in the treasure chest (or maybe just clinging to the outside of it since the ship wrecked.). Your craft store should have remarkably inexpensive feathered tropical birds meant for decorations with wire on their feet. Kids can use the wire to help their new pet parrots ride on their shoulders or bicycles. 
Seashells. As the lost treasure chest lay buried beneath the sand on the seashore, seashells eventually found their way into the treasure. Shells are great treasure hunt ideas because they look irresistable when mixed with jewels and make the treasure sea-worthy. Children love to collect seashells. Craft stores also have beautiful shells in quantity. You can even find shell beads.
Large loose beads and gold and silver beading string. Treasure hunt ideas often include jewels of some sort. Turn the idea into an added activity after the hunt. The jewels of a lost treasure really sometimes come apart, and what a coincidence, kids’ love to “put them back together” with a post treasure hunt beading session. If the children are old enough to do beading, you can find large, pretty beads and gold and silver beading string for the treasure hunters to divide up and enjoy a creative beading session. Decorative chains. Boys and girls enjoy golden and silver chains for a variety of imaginative activities. Craft stores sell them for various decoration projects such as for hanging plants. 
Shimmery gold pouches filled with edible golden nuggets. Treasure hunt ideas often include edibles. Here's something unique. The wedding department of the craft store usually has small shimmery golden drawstring pouches meant for wedding favors (make sure they’re food safe). Fill them with golden caramel corn nuggets. You can even find healthy recipes online using organic popcorn and sucanat for the sweetener. This is another of my favorite treasure hunt ideas. Okay, the following items *may* be in craft stores, but I’ll list surer locations as well. And these treasure hunt ideas can cost more, so may need to be left out, or may only be appropriate for, say, group activities with just 3 or 4 kids if you want to include any of them but are on a budget. 
Sea explorer’s journal with feather pens. For boys and girls. Surprisingly, it isn’t just girls who like their own secret diary, boys like them also when presented properly. For the treasure hunt ideas here, the captain was a great sea explorer before the pirates captured his ship. Some of his as-yet-to-be filled explorer’s journals were deposited into the treasure chest. Book stores carry large assortments of “masculine” leather-look and antique look journals.
Stationary stores carry feather pens. Print out “Captain’s Journal” on your computer in an old-fashioned font, and glue or tape it to the cover. You can also make your own similar to the photo here. Paper stores carry old-look or leather-look paper and card stock for the cover and parchment paper for the inside.Captured Princess diaries with feather pens. Girls also love journals and diaries just for females. The princess captured by the pirates also had some of her diaries deposited into the treasure chest. Book stores carry many “princess-like” diaries for young girls. Princess crowns. The king’s treasure was being transported by the ship before the pirates took over, and they stole many princess tiaras. Coincidentally, they stole the exact same amount of tiaras as there are girls in your group of kids. While tiaras are more common among items for treasure hunt ideas and can be found quite cheap as party favors, you may prefer to find somewhat affordable but better quality ones through a costume outlet, online or local. For boys who need something to replace a tiara, gold watches on chains. Stolen, of course, from long-ago rich landlovers. Costume golden watches on chains (non-functional) can be found for about $16 each through costume outlets such as our affiliate,
Costumes 4 Less.
If you can afford it or can plan ahead, real one-dollar USA gold coins are beautiful treasure items. The problem may be finding just, say, two or three per child. The last time I asked my bank about the $1 gold coins, the teller had about nine. But another time I asked, they didn't have any and said you had to buy them in bulk in 500 piece chunks. (So, $500). Silver half-dollars are also fun because they’re not seen often. Make your own metal pirate coins: Spray paint metallic gold onto washers of different sizes, including some with bondo centers. 
Find mismatched china cups, exotic looking vases and old perfume jars at second hand stores. For something unbreakable, interesting old metal keys, matchless old decorative silver spoons or ornate silver creamers or tea pots make fascinating and unexpected treasures for kids.Making the treasure hunt a group quest where everyone is valued Decide what will be inside the treasure, then rewrite the story above to include those treasures. 
Find hiding places for the rest of the clues (which will be the same number as your group of kids). Then write the clues on bits of brown paper torn from paper sacks. (You can carefully burn the edges and crumple the paper for an antique effect.) For example, if there are nine kids, have one child read the opening story, then choose eight more different clue locations such as “behind the tallest tree in the yard,” and “near the left wheel of something shiny and red.” At the end of the opening story, and subsequently at the end of each clue, describe the specific type of child who must read the *next* clue and be the first to touch the next clue, or the treasure may magically turn to dust before it’s ever found. For example “the next clue is under the bed of something friendly and furry, but must be first touched and read by the youngest child with blond hair.” Make sure you find something unique and complementary about each child. This way, each child stands out and is important for the outcome. Plus, you avoid the unhappy situation where kids charge to be the first one to grab the clue and read it. The other kids can help lead to the clue, but the celebrated child must spot it in its location, touch it first and read it. If the child needs help reading, that’s allowed, but the child has to choose who helps. (If someone goofs and the kids think the treasure will now disappear, come up with a cover story such as, “now we have to hurry even faster to try to find it before it disintegrates. If we hurry it might not be too late.”
Put the first story-clue in a glass bottle with a cork to be pulled out and read by the oldest child. Even kids from a same-grade classroom will all be different ages by months, weeks or days. It’s less tempting for older kids to fall for bullying when their elderhood is put to good use, like being the leader in reading the first clue. Safety With Treasure Hunt Ideas Naturally, items purchased at adult craft and second hand stores must be safe for children. Also, new information on problem lead contained in various items is updated regularly on the news. Do a current online search for items to watch out for, and make sure what you’re offering is safe. You may also want to consult other parents. Also make sure you understand age appropriate safety before facilitating your own kids’ treasure hunt. Age related safety rules include, but are not limited to, the fact that small objects such as beads should never be given to children three and under, but may be considered fine for older kids.  Custom Search Return from Lost Worlds Treasure Hunt Ideas to Great Group Activities Home |
Queen’s jewels. Fabric stores are full of gorgeous gold, silver, diamond, pearl and other antique jewel-look buttons and fabric ornaments, which kids also enjoy collecting, trading, and stringing like beads or affixing to their clothing or accessories with fabric glue. Girls also love lengths of strings of pearls that fabric stores sell as trim. They can use them in their own hair or craft projects.
Treasure coins. What's a 
Palace housewares. One kingdom was trading some of their finest royal housewares to another kingdom on the ship before the treasure was lost. And now, the treasure chest also holds some of the finest china, perfume jars and ancient antique vases you’ll ever find.
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The ultimate treasure hunts and scavenger hunts for adults and kids