Put on your pirate hats and grab your treasure maps and discover buried treasure with this magnetic discovery box . It was so much fun and a great way to work on a number of things from colors, counting, letters… the sky is the limit. This is not at all safe for infants, toddlers or any child still putting things in their mouths. My 4 year old son was happy as a clam playing this over and over again while his sister napped. Especially since I explicitly told him it was only for big kids, no babies allowed. It’s nice to have things just for him now that he has to share so much.
- Gather your materials. You will need a magnetic wand
, some magnetic marbles ( ours came with our wand),some magnetic letters/numbers, a dish tub, some cracked wheat and or rice. I know some parents are concerned about using sand for crafts so I searched for the best replacement and this bulk cracked wheat really looks like sand!
- Pour your rice and cracked wheat into your tub.
- Take some time feeling the pretend sand , talk about how it feels, ask your child if they like it or not.
- Ask your child to cover their eyes and hide the magnets. * hint about keeping everyone in your family safe. Count the magnets before they go into the tub and do a “headcount” of them after you are done playing. Magnets are really fun toys and great for learning but in the wrong hands/ mouths they are very dangerous.
- Search for treasure!
- Ask what they found- it’s a fun way to practice letter and number recognition, counting , or even addition and subtraction!
- This is what baby girl was doing while we explored.
melissa says
oh this is great!! i just love your ideas! eisley, my four year old, will LOVE this! especially the ::only for big kids part:: she’s all about being a big kid right now.
Kristi @ Creative Connections for Kids says
Don’t they just love magnets! This activity covers it all!
Jenae @ I Can Teach My Child says
This looks like so much fun! We’ll definitely have to try this!
Centers and Circle Time says
Super fun!
Gaby says
Thank you for posting all of these great crafts! I purchased your book and I LOVE IT!! BTW you spelled Treasure wrong on the title, just thought I would let you know in case it doesn’t file in your “archive” correctly!
admin says
Thank you so much for noticing!!
Liz says
I love this, I’m going to search for a magnetic wand now(must find one in Australia). Thank you!
EmilyM says
Another great idea. I have to try this. My son is totally into “treasure hunting” right now.
joanne degiacomo petrie says
This is so fun for kids. When hiding things in the “sandbox” (which of course is a multi-purpose box), I have safety goggles (available from the dollar store) and the elastic blindfolds (the ones you get when flying overseas) to block out the light. If these eye covers are readily available, young children are more apt to explore and need to rely on their sense on touch (where there are approximately 100 receptors in each finger) and use their sense of hearing. A clipboard with paper is an added touch to promote literacy and the children can record their experiences by using inventive/phonetic spelling, or a drawing to document their experiences.