One of our favourite things about Easter (aside from the four day weekend and copious amounts of chocolate!) is a good, old Easter egg hunt. But the fun doesn’t need to wait until Easter Sunday – with this craft project from More Boredom Busters, the kids can start getting excited any day! Following these simple steps (and with a little grown-up supervision), your children can make a wonderful rustic treasure map, ready to hunt for their egg. You could turn it into a game for brothers, sisters, cousins and friends - each child makes a map and hides an egg, and then they all swap maps for the treasure hunt. Happy hunting!
Treasure map
Making a Treasure Map can be an activity today—and a game tomorrow! Tracking down locations on a Treasure Map is a fun indoor activity for a rainy day or an entertaining outdoor scavenger hunt on a sunny day. This Boredom Buster makes a tea-stained Treasure Map, but you could use the same method to make ancient looking paper for invitations and party posters.
MAKE IT IN: 24 hours
BOREDOM BUSTER: One time activity (but you’ll want to make it again)
ACTIVITY LEVEL:★
Things you need:
Kettle
4 tea bags (black tea)
Teapot
White computer paper
Rectangular baking tray (with sides)
Spoon
Wire cooling rack
Paper towel
Marker pens, stickers, and glitter glue
1. Ask an adult to help you boil a kettle full of water. Put the tea bags in the teapot.
2. While you wait for the water to boil, scrunch up a sheet of white paper. Unscrunch the paper and lay it out flat in the baking tray.
3. When the kettle has boiled, carefully pour the water into the teapot (ask an adult for help) and leave it to “brew” for 10 minutes. Then pour the tea into the baking tray, being sure to completely cover the white crumpled paper.
4. Use a spoon to poke down any parts of the paper that might not be covered and then leave the paper to sit in the tea for 1–2 hours (depending on how brown you would like it).
5. Place some sheets of paper towel under the wire rack to mop up any drips. Carefully take the paper out of the tea. It will be delicate so be careful not to rip it. A tear or two might make it look old but a big rip might break it in two. Lay the tea stained paper on the wire rack and let dry overnight,
6. Decorate your treasure map with marker pens, stickers, or glitter glue. Be sure to draw a compass showing North, South, East, and West, along with trees, footsteps, and paths. And, of course, don’t forget to draw an “X” to mark the spot where the treasure is to be found!
For more kids activities, check out Boredom Busters by Caroline Fernandez.