Popular Costumes

Make a Treasure Map

It is easy and fun to make a treasure map! They can be used for lots of fun things including pirate party invitations and Halloween decorations! Are you ready to get started?

Creating the Map

Take brown paper grocery bags and rip them into whatever size you want them to be. Don’t cut them – that’ll make them look too perfect.

Take your pieces and immerse them in water.

Once they are good and wet, take them out of the water, crumple them up, and then smooth them out again.

Lay them out to dry. You can speed up the drying by using a blow dryer or putting them in the oven on a cookie sheet for a couple of minutes. Watch them so they don’t burn.

Next, burn the edges with a lighter, being careful not to burn yourself or too much paper.

Now your paper is ready for writing! Use markers to draw out your map or use invisible ink! Invisible ink is simply lemon juice that is applied with a small paintbrush. It will appear clear until you hold over a source of heat such as a hot light bulb or candle.

Using the Map

Before you draw on your map, you should know what you’ll use the map for. Here are some ideas:

Treasure Hunt Game
If you’re using this for a treasure hunt game, outline the place that you’re hunting. For example, if you’re having a treasure hunt in your house, draw a rough floor plan of your house as the map.

Also, you can use the invisible ink as an additional clue your hunters have to solve!

Pirate Party Invitations
Simply tear you paper into invitation-sized pieces. Write the details of the party on your map including the date, time, place, and any special instructions for your guests. If you want them to look more uniform, use a rubber stamp for the map or party details.

Also consider making the treasure map you draw a map to your house.

Halloween Decorations
Use several bags and make a treasure map the size of a wall! If you do this, sketch out the idea of the map on a regular piece of paper first so you have a reference for your big map.

Create several maps and put them all over your house.

Location Ideas for your Treasure Map
Pirate Island
Tortuga
Bloody Beaches
Serpents Pass
Deathly Waterfalls
Mummy Caves
Skull Rock
Vicious Vortex
Haunted Hurricane
Shipwreck Cove

---

Tell us how would you make a treasure map!