DIY EGG HUNT

This year for Easter, I'm doing a treasure hunt (THE STEP BY STEP IS HERE): an egg treasure hunt. I resume treasure hunts, surprise eggs, toto jokes, I mix, I adapt according to the age of the children and that's it! The idea is that it lasts at least 1 hour so I give it my all. I get rid of myself, I make my neurons burn. Finally, what's left! Obviously, we choose according to the age of the children (no reverse alphabet for a 3-year-old child) and we make it last longer or shorter. For a teenager or a 4-year-old child, 30 minutes will be more than enough! For the others, we stretch until exhaustion!

For starters, we agree! We don't do a simple treasure hunt (it's for babies), we do a treasure hunt! Each time a clue is solved, you can move on to the next one. Since it's Easter, we can add a chocolate egg to each hideout or hide the clue in a chocolate egg. It's as you want, it's open as hunting. Whatever happens, in the end, there is the treasure! The golden rabbit! For those who haven't followed. 

To start, we give participants a card! I let you choose the format of the card. Either you make a map like this (photo from Instagram: the metro at my place), or you take out a plan with the exact dimensions of your apartment (archi style), or you make a drawing, or you make a photo montage … In short, this drawing/map/plan is where the egg hunt takes place. 

Then ask participants to draw dots as they go through the steps and for each step ask them to make a cross and draw an egg or a bunny! They can also time themselves and indicate the time they took for each step...

So now the clues. They can take many forms. A bit like you (or me): nice, evil… They can be hard or easy. But, whatever happens (whatever the cost), they must be age-appropriate and prepared well in advance. Quite simply, because it is long! Do not forget to :

1 - number your clues

2 - to note on a sheet where you will hide them

3 - and list which clue in which hideout so as not to get lost!! (I know, it smells of experience…) 

Concealment advice: the best hideouts are unlikely places: the washing machine, the cutlery drawer, in a vase, in a flower bud, coat rack, DVD player, roll of toilet paper, between 2 parquet slats, in the croquettes of the cat, in a packet of pasta… (I know, there too it smells of experience)

So let's get to the heart of the matter: the clues! There are 1000 ways to write a clue and above all 1000 sites that explain how to do it. Here are some examples. In my opinion the best! Feel free to use different types of clues. It allows you to vary the pleasures, maintain the intention and above all make you a wonderful mother (or father)! If with all this, the children don't find the confinement great, I'll stop everything!

* The puzzle riddle: you just need to take a photo of where the clue is hidden and cut it into small pieces. Children must then put the pieces back together to uncover the mystery! If you don't have a printer, I'm pretty sure you'll be able to draw a picture of it!

* The index indication: it is very vague and very little head-scratching like: “the clue is in the living room”. This is the alpha of the index. A bit lame let's be honest.  

* Father Fouras' enigma clue: “He wakes us up every morning, never making a sound... Who am I? " The sun ! Good luck !!!! I will not be cow, there is on this site, all the riddles of Father Fouras! 

* The riddle clue: it is tortuous. "The precious clue is hidden where you don't sleep, where you don't eat, but where you sometimes play", "the soft and green piece of furniture where you lie down regularly", "an Eskimo would feel at home there », « the thing which does not always smell very good which is under a sink and of which you do not know the way »…

* A rebus: there are generators rebus online (here). THIS IS NOT A JOKE !! It's downright awesome. It makes my day of confinement!  

* The mirror text: just write messages upside down and give the kids a hint that would look like "not only does it reflect you (it helps you remove your blackheads, style your hair, cream you, admire you...) but it can also be of great help to you today! » 

* The substitution alphabet: with numbers, symbols, colors or images for each letter. You can find two examples in the Easter category with the AVOCAT treasure hunt and the CASSIS treasure hunt. For instance !

* The missing object:  here, it is the equivalent of Qui est-ce? Choose ten images (or write the words in a grid) in 3 or 4 categories. For example: person/fruit/vegetable/architecture. Ask questions whose answers can only be yes or no. Eliminate images as you go. In the end, only one remains. This is the clue! If the clue is a banana, then the next step is hidden in the fruit bowl in the kitchen. 

* The Charade: great classic of the riddle and therefore of the enigma! And so crazy thing, there is a charades generator (here) !!! I can not believe it ! 

* Anagram (means reversal of letter): It is therefore a question of disorganizing the letters and to make matters worse, you can make sentences. I know, I'm demonic! 

* Inverted texts: there is therefore the mirror text + the anagram to which you can add the inverted syllables, the texts with gaps (you have to guess the missing vowels or consonants) and the text where you only have to read one letter out of 2! for example: VLRAFPBIENH = RABBIT!!

Let's go. Give the 1st clue, once deciphered, do not hesitate to guide quietly installed in your sofa: it's hot, it's cold, it's lukewarm...

PS 1: Another way to hide clues: surprise eggs. It takes work, but it's very pretty, very poetic and very Easter! 

PS2: Be careful, hide the treasure in a place where there was no clue! It would still be stupid to come face to face with the golden rabbit when you were only looking for a kinder micro egg!