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Treasure Hunt Party (5-12) Shopping Hunt

July 2000

Diane in Great Falls MT USa

Honorable Mention

Treasure Hunt Birthday Party Theme.  I submitted this to our local mall and they accepted but then wanted me to get insurance incase someone had an accident (fell on the ice or other) and that ended setting up a plan for the Mall.  However I gave the ideas to everyone I could think of.  This is how it went. 

Age Range: Birthday boy/girl 5-14  Check list Pick 3 stores you or your child would like gifts from.  Invites Purchase or do your own invites up (See samples below).  From there 3 choices of the stores they would choose to do up the clue(s).  So say they want to go to Icing. 

Then count so many steps to Icing from the entry for clue: when it is cold out it some times freezes and turns into? Ice (Icing).  Depending on the group they may require help for shopping or for older age groups they can shop on their own while supervised attention is just out the door.  J.C. Pennys, Meet us at the Penny. My niece from S.C. actually did something similar and that was where I got the idea and put together the plan.  Minimum guest to attend party would be 6-8.  Each child brings $10.00 to spend on the birthday child. 

Parents: Would be expected to help and they can take one group to a particular store for shopping.  This way the parents of the party can pictures (hint legally you can't take pictures in the mall).  Then the 3 groups meet at a certain time at a location to have their treats and give the gifts to the birthday boy/girl.  Location would depend on what restaurant you want to go to, or you could rent the room off the Information Area. 

Bring your own cake, or pick up something like ice cream cones in the mall, pretzels, you get the idea. Our mall you can rent a special area by the information desk.  After the treats and the gifts are given the parent is responsible for the favor bag. 

You can either let the guest purchase whatever they would like to buy the birthday person at the designated store.  Or as the first group goes off you tell them to look for say at Hallmark, beanies, or stampers as an example. 

Group 2 Claries or Icing you tell them Jewelry, or hair items.  Bath and Body bath gel, lotion, lip gloss.   Candle shop color of candles or scent.  Spencers a particular item.  Book store, type of books.  Hope this gives you an idea. 

TO CREATE YOUR OWN INVITES here is an example(s). A special invites arrives in the mail at your guesthouse (or of course handouts) with a coded message.

1. It could be an alphabet/number code.

2. Messages written backwards that you have to hold up to a mirror and read.

3. A mathematical game.

4. Print your clue on white paper with a white crayon.  Then arm your detectives with colored markers (washable for little ones) they can use to scribble on top of each clue to make the words visible.

5. Try writing clues that require filling in the blanks. Cut out pictures and words from an old magazine.

6. Come up with a code by assigning a number (1 through 26) to each letter of the alphabet.  Then use the numbers to write your clues.

7. Rhyming riddles: Where purple, in spring, blooms out of the woods, autumns comforter covers the goods.

8. Create a maze that leads to JC Pennys front door and may it with an X! 

You might want to add the stores you want your guest to shop at to give them an extra hint by adding the name of that store on your maze.  Do in pencil then in dark ink or computer print out this information.  Copy at copy shop and you are sent to send out your personalized invitations.  You are invited to a Scavenger Hunt for (child's name) Birthday   WHERE: Holiday Village Mall

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