Searching for Pirate’s Treasure

When the kids started pretending to be pirates together every time they played, I knew it was the perfect opportunity to dive into this newfound interest with them. Over the past few weeks we have found simple ways to weave pirate details into our life and play, and the kids are loving it! Undoubtedly, one of the most exciting aspects of a pirate’s life is seeking buried treasure, so I put a little adventure together for us to share as a family while we were at the beach this weekend!

We made the treasure map the night before our quest and it only took about 20 minutes. We tore a piece of brown paper from a large roll of floor covering that we had on hand from all our cottage renovations, but you could easily use kraft paper or the back of a paper bag. With a lighter, I carefully singed the edges and a few spots in the middle of the map. Isaac sketched a super simple diagram of our beach cottage surroundings in pencil (starting in pencil is key because cartography is harder than you’d think!) Once we had a layout we were satisfied with, we outlined everything in black pen, thought up a few cheesy pirate-themed labels for locations, and then added a red dashed line for the route. Lastly, I crumpled the map up a few times to make it look more worn, then I rolled it up and tucked it behind a chest we have near the cottage entrance.

The next morning I slipped out of the house and tucked the treasure chest into some bushes toward the end of one of our favorite hiking trails. Later, as we prepared to take a walk I pulled the map out for the kids and they were ECSTATIC! Isla believed with her whole heart that it was a genuine pirate’s map and could not wait to see what we would discover. We let her carry the map and take the lead! Thankfully, our map making skills were solid enough for Isla to guide us up the hill, through the forest, past “Ye Olde Row Boat Wreck” and “Hearties Swing” to the treasure!

The treasure chest and the treasure itself were mostly leftovers from Isla’s mermaid birthday party a few years ago— she didn’t even notice! Along with the sparkly baubles and gold painted shells I included a pirate matching game for Isla and a simple pirate puzzle for Cole (both DIY that I will share in a blog post soon), the super simple eye patches I made for the kids when they first started showing an interest in pirates, and the pièces de résistance: new pirate hats!

The kids were squealing like crazy as the opened the chest and discovered all the pirate’s booty inside. We carried it all down to the beach and they played pirates and ran around shouting, “Argh!” and “Matey!” all morning.

Our hunt for buried treasure was such a fun way to spend time as a family and nurture the kids’ interest in pirates. All of the prep work (putting together the treasure chest contents, making the map, stashing the treasure) took about an hour and a half, and it was truly time well spent because the memories made that morning will stay with us all for a lifetime!