We started the day with a movie (Ramona and Beezus, because Grace and I just started reading Ramona's World, by Beverly Cleary) and popcorn for breakfast! I would have probably loved to just veg out and watch movies all day, but that just doesn't work for my active little ladies! So while they ate lunch, I planned a Rainy Day Treasure Hunt!
The first problem with my plan was, well, not having any treasure! So I headed up to my mom's attic and started snooping! I found a box filled to the brim with something really wonderful...but let me not get ahead of myself. My next task was to write the hints. I wanted this activity to be a fun one, but also to give Grace some practice reading, so I wanted the hints to be simple, rhyming, and just a bit of a riddle!
Grace reads the "Introduction' to the treasure hunt, and the first clue!
"Adventure! My lovelies,
We'll have one today.
A treasure hunt? Yes!
You will both shout, 'Hooray!'"
And they did! ;)
Evie gets ready to jump into action!
"The first hint is this:
Practice makes perfect,
as you girls well know.
Find hint number two
behind the..."
I should note that most of the cards also had pictures that went along with each hint; in this case, music notes!
Hmmmm...
They're thinking hard.
To the piano!!! (Really a keyboard kept under the dining room table).
"You've found hint number two!
Now what will you do?
The next hint's in the place
where we leave our..."
Evie found the hint in the shoe basket!
This is so exciting!
"Great work! You found hint three!
Now...if you were hint four,
where would you be?
Maybe outside,
underneath a big..."
Getting ready to go find the fourth hint!
Grace is really really ready!
Now where could it be?
Evangeline has spotted the big tree!
Got it!!!
"You found hint four!
Now, do you want more?
Find hint number five
behind a decorated..." (Picture of Aunt Emily's door)
They were a bit hesitant, but they didn't even have to step foot into Aunt Em's room, the hint was just behind her door!
"This place is a mess...(sorry Em)
but you found number five!
Isn't it wonderful to be alive?
And now for hint six,
I won't play any tricks.
Who likes to chase balls and sticks?
Go to the place
where the family pet sits!"
(As an English major and a writer I am disappointed in my rhyme and meter...but hey, I wrote these things pretty quickly!)
My mom's dog, Penny, has a lot of places to sit and lay around the house, so the girls had a tough time figuring out where to look first.
Nope, not there either!
Found it!
"Hint number six!
More than half way there!
To find the next hint...
Where do you keep your..." (Lousy drawing of underwear.)
This hint was also testing to see if they know where their stuff is kept! Evie (she is our "finder") knew just where to look!
Evie pauses to check out Ramona's World. "We just watched that!"
"Whew! That was hard,
but you found number seven!
The next hint is in
a big book about heaven!"
They snuck upstairs quietly (Adelaide was napping) and got the next hint out of Daddy's Bible!
"Hint number eight!
Now, isn't this great? (Yeah!)
Your next hint can be found
where I fill your plate!"
They had a tough time locating this one...
Hooray!
"Great job, girls,
you're almost done!
Your next hint, I fear
is the last one!
To find it, look in the place
to have wet, bubbly fun!"
Evie knew it must be Grammy's bathroom, because "there's lots of room there!"
She's spotted it!
"But I can't reach it!"
"You can do it, Evie!" Grace is very encouraging...but you don't see her climbing into the tub!
Got it!!!
"Great Job!
You found hint number ten!
This treasure hunt will soon come to an end.
To find the treasure...
When you go to bed
where do you rest your pretty head?"
Our bed!!!
Checking behind the pillows...are they the treasure???
Found them! Two personalized treasure boxes!
What is it?!?!?!
Books!!! They may not look excited, but I promise they were.
Each box was filled with my old books from my childhood! I had so much fun rediscovering them!
I LOVED Grover books as a little kid.
This was one of Jesse's favorites. Grace wanted me to read it right away!
Grace's treasure box included lots of "I Can Read" books, including one of her favorites, Amelia Bedilia!
A treasure hunt was just the right thing to make this rainy day a fun one for all of us! The best part was, when it was over, we got right into our next activity: reading!
What is your favorite thing to do on a rainy day?
O my!! You are so very creative! Was this your first treasure hunt?
ReplyDeleteIt was my first! It was pretty easy to do though, and they really liked it, so I'm sure we will have more down the road!
ReplyDeleteThat was adorable. Also, all those books were MY favorites as a kid too! ESPECIALLY the Grover-Hide-and-Seek book. Have you read "Grover and the Monster at the end of the book" ? That book is Truely a masterpiece. And Hysterical.
ReplyDelete