Clued In Kids- TOS Crew Review

Everyone loves a treasure hunt, right?  That's pretty much the premise of Clued In Kids! This cool little company has figured that out and made it easy for parents and educators to do treasure hunts of all kinds with minimal effort.  I LOVE the minimal effort part.

First you pick a theme.  There are many to choose from so whether planning a birthday party, a holiday themed party, or just a rainy day activity, you will be able to find one that suits your needs.  From fairies to pirates to Easter, Clued In Kids has you covered.  Since our oldest has had to become wheat free we decided to try the Gluten-Free Treasure Hunt  ($5.99) and then added the Winter Treasure Hunt  ($5.99) for fun.  All of the treasure hunts are recommended for kids as young as 4, but can be modified to fit older kids as well. Next you just print out the clues and you are ready to go (some of the treasure hunts are available as a physical product). At the bottom of each clue is the location of where you are to hide it.  Places include your closet, your bathroom and your refrigerator.  Once you have hidden the clues you hand the child or children the first clue and off they go.  Solving clues involves filling in puzzles, looking for hidden pictures, and unscrambling words.  Each solved puzzle then sends the children to the next clue.  Of course, at the end of the hunt is a hidden treasure- your choice, of course!

Fun and easy!  My kind of activity.
Let me tell you about our experience.  We actually decided to do the Winter Hunt first.  Because I am in charge of game night occasionally for a young church group, I decided this would be a fun activity to do with the group.  We have readers and non-readers in the group, so I emphasized we were a team and needed to work together.   Older kids read the clues and we tried to let the younger ones lead us to the next space.  Tried, being the operative word, of course. ;)  I also had to modify a few of the clues a little as we were in a church setting and not a house.  The washing machine became the dishwasher and I had to "plant" a pair of shoes with one of the clues in it.  Even with these modifications, the hunt was fairly easy to set up and just took a few extra minutes to change up.  I taped the modified clue over the original one. And prizes, everyone loves prizes.  We bought glow sticks from the Dollar Store and the kids seemed thrilled.  Remember, it is not about the end result as much as it is the thrill of the hunt!

As for the Gluten Free hunt, which was created in response to a life threatening health issue with the creator and her daughter, we chose to do this one in our home with my two younger kids.  The older, age 12, did not have nearly as much fun as our church group, but my 7 year old loved it.  The theme was not nearly as exciting I think, but it was informational.  If you have a child with a newly modified diet this could be a good way to help them learn information in a less threatening and scary way.  I did find that the information presented on what gluten was and how it affected one's diet seemed a little weighty for the younger kids that would appreciate a treasure hunt, but on the other hand, kids often surprise us with what they can learn and understand!  Oh, and the treasure?  Gluten free s'mores, of course! ;)

If you are looking for a fun, inexpensive way to entertain your kids, look no further.  Clued in Kids has all you need for a treasure hunt sure to thrill your kids in a form sure to make it easy for you to do so!  Enjoy! You can find Clued In Kids on social media as well-  Twitter: @cluedinkids Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cluedinkids Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/cluedinkids/ 

Ordering is easy!  For $5.99, you can choose between a variety of themes to download! If you sign up for the newsletter, you will get access to a FREE treasure hunt!