The Treasure Box

A number of years ago when my granddaughters were all younger from 4 to 12 we would go on a week long camping trip along with other friends who had small children there was a mixture of boys and girls, the mothers and aunts would get together and decide what would make the camping trip a memorable one. This year I decided to do something on my own for the kids, I created a authentic looking map stained with tea on parchment paper used black ink with a odd looking compass but you could well see that it was a compass, then I had a wooden box made with a pirate and crossbones burned into it, rummaged through my cosmetic jewelry and stuffed it into the box this was looking pretty cool for kids to dig up!

On a Saturday morning we packed up and left for the park this was at Sybils Point in Ont by this time I had let the other adults know what I had put together so we made a plan that when we got to the campground after setting up the tents the mothers would take the kids down to the beach area for some swimming and water fun. This gave me the time to bury the treasure box and to place the map somewhere in our camping area but visible enough for 1 of the kids to find it, now the map and instructions had to meet the specifics I had jotted down, it wasn't to hard to do.

When the gang lets say there were maybe 15 got back from the beach it was nearing dinner time ( the map was tucked into the cross bars of 1 of the picnic tables we would be using it was sticking out long enough so that whom ever sat at that end would feel it rubbing on their leg and being summer and wearing shorts you would have felt it.

Now while the adults were getting food ready for dinner the kids when't over to the tables for some drinks and that's when it happened Kayla who was 9 found the map and carefully unfolded it and was very excited believing it be a real treasure map she squealed with delight at what she found showing it to the other kids and then calling for the adults to come over and have a look. We all looked at it and decided that after our dinner we should follow the instructions to see if this treasure was still there, let me tell you there was no encouraging the kids to have to eat their meal they wanted to get to searching for the treasure as quickly as possible.

Once we had finished with our meal and we decided that we could now go look, so we paired off as some of the kids were very young it was perhaps 30 minutes before the box was found you can imagine if you will the squeals of excitement coming from them it was Emma and Holly who found the box so they brought it back to the picnic table yelling to everybody else to come look. To this day I will never forget the wide eyed look of pure amazement that was on their little faces. Upon opening the box they seen the little treats I had put in their as well and the glittering jewelry now the older girls 3 of them caught on quickly but smart as they are they said nothing letting the littler ones enjoy this find, there was also pirate coins that I had made put in there with some real coins to this day I still have 1 of the coins.

As short as this story may be it was a most memorable time by the way Kayla the girl who found the map kept the wooden treasure box and from what I hear still has it and she is 23.

written by B.L. Trickett