Restless kids at home? Tired of writing Instructables and want to get outside? Have a pirate treasure adventure with your kids!

Step 1: You Will Need:

Required:
A map
Treasure
Talking like a pirate

Optional:
Treasure box
Pirate hat
Eye Patch
Lath Sword (cover wood in pipe insulation tube and you can have a pirate battle.)

For older kids you can put clues on index cards and create a more advanced pirate experience.

Step 2: Make the Map

I had already built a scale map of our home in Google Sketchup to try and map out our landscaping plans. So I printed it out on cream colored legal paper. (8 1/2 x 14) You can make the paper look old using tea, but I only drink herbal tea, and the raspberry tea would have made a very awesome but pink map. You can also burn the edges with a lighter, but that makes a mess when dealing with a 3 year old.

Once you have the basemap drawn, you will need to put the path and final destination on it. We chose to use an X to mark the spot, with footprints running around our house, Family Circle style.

Step 3: Prepare the Treasure

I have an old wooden box that carried a surveyors transit in it, and my son loves playing with it, so we used it as a treasure box. A cigar box, a shoe box, any box will do. Remember, you are doing this for fun, so don't make life too hard.

Line the box with some fabric, and place some treasure in it. Your choice may vary, but we decided to use gold coin candy, ring pops, and candy necklaces. If you use chocolate, and its a sunny day, make sure you hurry along before your treasure melts.

Step 4: Hide the Map

Every pirate hides his map, whether it is buried on a desert island, or tucked in his pocket until he dies and becomes a haunted pirate skeleton.

We decided to hide the treasure map in my foot locker, containing all my childhood stuff.

Step 5: Help the Little Pirates Find the Map

Get your kids to find the map. It shouldn't be too hard, just say, hey, Daddy found something down here! Come quick!

The little chiddlers will come running. If you have teenagers, I'm sorry. Although, you could try texting or facebooking the location of the treasure map. Tell them the car keys are the treasure. Once the kids come running, help them as needed. Really, let them start with it. Don't helicopter them. Let them discover themselves.

Step 6: Help the Little Pirates Find the Treasure

So you are totally off track now. You know where the treasure is, but the little pirate explorers are going the wrong way. Maybe their attention span ran out and they are playing with the family dog, or grabbed a random toy and you are the only one still excited. Get them excited again. Remind them there is treasure coming and they'll soon be hot on the scent.

Once you find the treasure, haul in inside to be opened out of the heat (or cool). Make sure all the pirates get some booty.