I have fond childhood memories of the teenager next door setting up a treasure hunt for us. The prize was only some small piece of candy or same cheap bulk toys, but that didn’t matter it was the fun of the hunt!

After about a day the next door neighbor didn’t need to make up maps for us anymore we had learned to make our own! A lot was learned in the quests the younger kids learned left from right, we all learned problem solving, direction following and team work (though we didn’t know it then).

Instead of saying go to the trash can at the Jones house, the map would read; Follow the weekly smell to the station before clue is eaten by the big green mouth! Your time is limited the next step is the second to go. I should explain that our neighborhood trash was picked up once a week and the trash truck was, as you might have guessed, green.

Next would be a crude drawing of the neighborhood with the path drawn lightly as though done a hundred years ago. That map might send us to a pile of leaves that our treasure was burried in!

We also took the map making to the next level. When we went to a play area like at McDonalds or a place that had tunnels we took paper with us and mapped the place out and then a course was plotted to find and a treasure hidden.

I have made simple treasure directions to help my nephew (4) learn right from left. He lives in an apartment complex so I found it easier to teach left from right there. An example:

From the front door go LEFT up the stairs and out the door. (Either left or right will take him up a flight of stairs and out a door.)

From that door go LEFT past the dumpsters to the fence.

Follow the fence to the RIGHT.

Once you reach the walking trail go to LEFT.

After the school go to the RIGHT.

Once you cross the railroad tracks go to the RIGHT.

If these directions were followed he and his mom would be at the conveince store and would stop for a small Icee.

All they have do is change the directions each time they go to the store or the park to help him learn left from right. In addition to helping with left and right he is getting to know the area better so that if something happened he could get home or someplace safe.

Samten is the Buddhism editor at BellaOnline and homeschooling mom to one sweet little man!


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