WDW Scavenger Hunt with Suprise Ending HELP!!

[amsyw]

Ok first with the story.... we normally go to WDW every other year (on even years) this was a "no WDW" year. Each of us love Disney as much as the other! When we started planning our annual summer vacation DH & I couldn't get past the fact that we really wanted to go back to Disney. We decided to break tradition and go for it... with one exception, we haven't told the kids! (DS 11, DD 10, DS 2) We told them we are just going to the beach.. which we are but after a week at WDW! They have been complaining about missing Disney, but we just keep a straight face and go on!

Now.. we want to come up with a special way of telling them. I wanted to be able to get them to the WDW sign and SUPRISE... but DS 11 loves to read the map and figure out where we are so that probably won't work.

My next idea was to have a Scavenger Hunt around our yard/house. At the end they find their WDW passes. We have a large front and back yard and can use the house, we have several bed and bath rooms. Now we just need to come up with the "clues" I was thinking like the TV show "the great race" where they will have to find an envelope to get the next clue. We were also thinking along with the clue perhaps something that might make them start thinking Disney thoughts. (an envelope with a Mickey/Pirates of the Caribbean sticker for example)

Any good ideas? We aren't great at this kind of thing... but I know from this board that some of you are!

Ok... your turn HELP PLEASE!!

Thanks so much in advance, you guys are all great!

 

[dougsmom98]

Here's what we did for my son's 7th birthday. We glued a treasure map onto a piece of cardboard. My DH cut the map into 8 puzzle pieces. Each clue lead the kids to the location of a new puzzle piece and a clue. When they found all the puzzle pieces, they put the map together which lead them to the loot. You could make a map of Florida or Disney World or when they put the puzzle together it could read we are going to Disney World! Here are some examples of the clues we used for the birthday party.

*Oh young and mighty pirates can you solve the mystery? The birthday party treasure has been hidden secretly. Follow the clues given and with each one you will see there is a piece of the treasure map that shows where the loot will be. So put your heads together and see what you can do. If you find the treasure there is something for each of you!

*The first clue is in the room closest to the road. Find a table with a drawer, but don’t look down because it’s not on the floor. Look in, look out, and look behind. Surely if you look carefully, the clue you will find.

*Now it’s time for the second clue. I do not think it is in your shoe. But look in the room where you keep school stuff, there’s so much out there so this might be rough. It’s not in a cubby, it’s not on the floor, but when Amy
goes somewhere she takes it with her out the door. (It was in my purse.)

*Clue number three is in a room with two doors. There is a bed, a table and two chests of drawers. Look for the clue in a box, but not in the one that holds all the socks!

*To find the fourth clue you will have to look on a shelf inside a book about a young elf. Once you find the clue, your job is not done. Oh no, just wait it is not an ordinary one. Invisible ink is on the fourth paper clue but a tool has
been given to help words appear to you. (I wrote the location of the puzzle piece on white paper with a white crayon and gave left a colored pencil with it. The kids had to shade in using color and the white crayon words showed up.)

*Find the movies, not the DVDs, in a room near one of the TVs. The fifth clue will be found with a video story about a father looking for his son with a crazy fish named Dory. (It was in the Nemo VHS tape case.)

*Clue number six, you are almost there! Find the room nearby that has a bunch of stairs. Don’t go up, but look all around. I’ll bet you will find it
somewhere on the ground! (It was under the area rug in our hallway.)

*Clue number seven, is the second to last. See if you can get it super speedy fast. You will find the clue in the room with pots and pans. It’s not in the dishwasher, stove or the sink. You will need to find it, so think, think, think!
The location of the clue has a timer and a round plate, it also beeps when it is done so you won’t be late. (It was in the microwave.)

*You are finally there, the last clue! Let’s see what is next, let’s see what you have to do. Go to the room that is mostly white with some blue, here you will find the final piece of the clue. It’s not in a window, it’s not in a drawer,
if you look closely it might be behind a door.

*You finally did it, you found all the pieces to the map! Don’t get lazy now, there’s no time to nap. If you put the pieces together, each and every one, you will find the location of the loot you have won!

It took a while to make things rhyme and you can see that some of them are a stretch, but the kids loved this and keep asking for another treasure hunt next year.

 

[amsyw]

Dougsmom... that is great! I think your idea would be fun especially the "loot". I could not only include their tickets but I could run to the Disney store and get some Disney Dollars and maybe some small trinkets! It would be cool if I could come up with a "treasure chest" of sorts! The rhyming was great, and moms and dads get the right to be corny coming up with rhymes as long as it leads to something good!! Besides with "Pirates of the Caribbean" coming out I bet I will be able to find all kinds of pirate-y things to fill the chest!

Anyone else?