Monday, September 1, 2014

How to Make a Pirate's Treasure Chest and Map

Ahoy mateys!  
What a fun time we had at the beach!
Let me show you how Black Shirt the Pirate (Hubby) and I made a treasure chest and map, as a fun indoor beach activity for our grandsons, ages three and six. 

Isn't old Black Shirt the scariest looking pirate you've ever seen? ;)
His eye patch, mustache and pirate bandana are from the party store.

OK, here's how we made the "treasure chest" :

The box is a men's shoe box that opens from the front. 
Hubby used duct tape to make the "straps". 
The black dots (rivets) were made with a permanent marker. 
The skull and crossbones graphic is from the internet...printed, cut out and attached with double sided tape.


The chest was filled with toys, activity books and markers...and of course, gold (chocolate) "dubloons".

To make the map...


...you need one large, brown paper grocery bag.


Open the bag down the back seam, tear off a section with no writing on it, and tear the shape of a "map".

Next, using permanent markers, draw your design on the paper map...


...a pirate ship...

...a compass rose, landmarks, and don't forget...X marks the spot.

Wait a couple of minutes for the marker to dry, then crunch the map, open, crunch again from a different angle, open, and crunch again.

I got so involved with crunching, that I forgot to take pics of the crunching part...but you get the idea.


Put the crunched map in a bowl of warm water for a couple of seconds, until it's wet. 
You might need to open it to make sure it's wet.


Lay the wet map out to dry on the counter, or blow dry it, if you're in a hurry. 
You're all done! 
Now...


...fold, or roll, and tie the map with an old leather shoe lace...or twine. 
Good luck to the little ones hunting for the hidden treasure and...


...and watch out for old Black Shirt.

xo Black Shirt and Babs



Fun Parties to Visit:
    
           Dwellings ~ Amaze Me Monday
           
    Between Naps On The Porch ~ Metamorphosis Monday
The Dedicated House ~ Make It Pretty Monday
Creative Country Mom's Garden ~ Home Sweet Garden ~Tuesday
A Stroll Thru Life ~ Inspire Me Tuesday
Coastal Charm ~ Show and Share
Our Home Away From Home ~ Tuesdays at Our Home
StoneGable~ The Scoop
Savvy Southern Style ~ Wow Us Wednesday
A Southern Daydreamer ~ Outdoor Wednesday
Ivy and Elephants ~ What's It Wednesday
The Style Sisters ~ Centerpiece Wednesday
A Delightsome Life ~ Home and Garden Thursday
Between Naps On The Porch ~ Tablescape Thursday
Have a Daily Cup of Mrs. Olson ~ Share Your Cup Thursday
Love of Family and Home~ Inspire Me, Please Weekend Blog Hop
My Turn for Us ~ Freedom Fridays Blog Hop
The Charm of Home ~ Home Sweet Home Friday
The Dedicated House ~ Anything Blue Friday
The Jenny Evolution ~ Friday Flash Blog

Rooted in ThymeSimple and Sweet Friday










11 comments:

Kelly said...

I bet your grandkids had such a fun time with that! You guys are so creative.

Sarah said...

How adorable! Wonder who had the most fun with all of this? You need to order a copy of the The Pirates Night Before Christmas. They will love it!

Liz@ HomeandGardeningWithLiz said...

Oh Babs how cute! The box with treasures and the nap are such fun ideas! Hubby played his part well :-)

Stacey said...

How fun! We did this when our boys were little too. We still have the map. :)

Shirley@Housepitality Designs said...

That is so adorable!....What we grandparents do for our sweeties....love the map...you two are so creative...can't imagine how much fun it was...thanks for the tutorial on the map...it is a beauty!!!

thepaintedapron.com said...

Very fun Babs! I did something similar for my grandson last summer but he was too young to really appreciate it! It would be fun to make a map with him for a project, he already has his pirate costume for Halloween! Thanks for giving me some great ideas!
Jenna

Pat said...

Babs,
Absolutely adorable, dear friend!!!
Love the Duct tape, shoe box and brown sack. . .took me back to my Den Mother Days!!!
The Grands are going to "LOVE" this!!!
Fondly,
Pat

Debbie said...

This is getting pinned into my "just dreaming" board on pinterest. That's where I put stuff for the future fun stuff that lives in my head. (Like if I'm ever a grandparent) I love this, and Black Shirt makes a very convincing pirate! :)

Poppy said...

What lucky children to have grandparents like you and your hubby to entertain them with such an adventure! My, how much fun it all looks!!

Poppy

Ivy and Elephants said...

This so adorable! My little grandson loves pirates so this would be so fun for him. Thanks for sharing, I just love it!
Hugs,
Patti

Kathy said...

Oh, my goodness - this looks like fun! I do appreciate you sharing with Home and Garden Thursday,
Kathy