If your children are anything like mine, they love playing dress up. With shows like Jake and the Neverland Pirates to influence them, we usually have little pirates running around our house.
Have you ever thought of encouraging piracy? Okay, well not exactly piracy but helping them find treasure?
No I am not crazy! Imagine letting their imaginations soar as they learn to read maps, use compasses and dig for buried coins!
You can easily make maps for the backyard with small clues to the next hint to a buried cache of treats and treasures. You can draw pictures of their next hint and make a fun family activity. The finder of the treasure feels like they could ride the seas with Jake himself!
Another idea cost a little more than a piece of paper and a compass but well worth it for the whole family. Have you ever considered a metal detector?
One of our favorite family past-times during the summer is bringing our metal detectors to the beach after a hot weekend and finding coins and jewelry that was lost in the sand.
Of course we also find plenty of bottle caps, cans, foil wrappers, etc. but every coin the kids find is like buried treasure!
We have joined groups that go to different beaches and locations that "salt"(place coins) an area to have contests to see who can find the most. It is a great family activity that sometimes puts a little money in your pocket!
We use a variety of metal detectors that have different purposes. We have one for find gold in the desert, coins at the beach, an underwater one, and one that collapses so the kids have one easy to use.
You don't have to spend a lot of money on a metal detector but for gold, you usually do. Coins on the beach doesn't take as fancy or expensive. I do not recommend the toy metal detectors for the kids... we have tried 2 different kinds and neither worked! I would recommend spending about $100 on a decent one. That is a lower end model and the price increases from there.
DISCLAIMER: You will not always find money/jewelry/treasures while using metal detectors. This is for informational/hobby purposes only. Do not use any pictures without permission first.
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