Treasure Hunt

I'm not sure how it got started, but sometime during my older elementary school years (sometime around age 9-11; I can't pinpoint it exactly!), I for some reason got the idea of creating treasure hunts for my #2 brother to pursue. First, I had to get a bunch of little treasures together. I don't remember at ALL what they were. Let's imagine maybe one of them was a Tootsie Roll, one a pencil, one a shiny stone, and so on. They had to be small things, easy to find around the house and seemingly desirable to a pre-teen boy (or young teen; don't recall for sure exactly how old he and I both were when we were doing this).

To go with each item, I would write a note telling where to go next. We had an interesting backyard with a sidewalk around part of it, low-lying trees and bushes, a swingset, a sandbox, a tool shed, and so on. So, for example, I might hide a Tootsie Roll along with a note saying, "NOW LOOK UNDER THE SLIDE." Under the slide, he might find one of the little prizes, together with a note saying where to go next, and so on. There were usually at least 20 links in the treasure hunt, and of course, the best treasure had to come last.

In thinking about the treasure hunt idea now, I guess it has some similarities to Easter Egg hunts, except that they are not done with the "follow the instructions" notes to go with the eggs. So, a big part of the fun was in thinking up the instructions and writing those little notes to attach to each prize.

This brother was often a source of consternation to me throughout childhood because he loved to tease me and try to get my goat. This phenomenon was fading as we got older and he had other challenges to focus on. He did like to read, and he had an active curiosity and imagination as I did. So he made a perfect audience for this type of treasure hunt, as he would go along with the idea enthusiastically and gratefully every time. I did my best to make sure that there was at least something really worth hunting for in each treasure hunt.

I have no idea how many treasure hunts I put together. Maybe 3, maybe 12, maybe some other number. I just remember that it was an ongoing idea in my head . . . probably during some summer vacation or something when long days begged for some intrigue to fill them. I'm glad he went along with the game, as it was a game of endless fun with infinite variations available.