Few activities offer more fun and adventure for children of all ages than a treasure hunt. And, while most of us are quite familiar with Easter egg hunts and backyard scavenger outings, we may not realize that a pontoon boat offers the perfect platform for treasure-hunting adventures. You can make the hunt as simple or complex as you like, based on the ages of your children and their friends — and on how much time and cruising room you have available.

To get started, you’ll need to make a few decisions

LOCATION: First, would you prefer to hold the treasure hunt at one particular place, or would you rather cruise from location to location? If you have younger children on board, you might want to limit the scope of your treasure hunt to a favorite beach, island or park. If you have older kids, it might be fun to plant clues or needed items at different locations. That way, cruising becomes part of the adventure.

THEME: Next, you might want to consider a theme. A pirate adventure is a natural choice, since your hunt will be centered around the water or the waterfront, and decorations are easy to find. Other exciting options include Nemo, Alice in Wonderland and Indiana Jones, especially because you can host screenings of “Pirates of the Caribbean,” “Finding Nemo,” “Alice in Wonderland” and one of the four Indiana Jones films at your home after the day's events are complete.

A special occasion or holiday also can define your theme. Imagine the possibilities for a pontoon boat based Easter egg hunt, a haunted Halloween hunt or perhaps even a Revolutionary War mission on the Fourth of July!

COMPETITORS: Make sure not to invite more children than your pontoon boat can hold safely, along with a captain and at least one additional adult to supervise (at least two if you're dealing with younger children who may need more attention and assistance). Then, decide whether you'd like each child to compete on his or her own, or if you'd rather break the children into teams.

DIFFICULTY LEVEL: Next, how complex would you like the hunt to be? For the most straightforward treasure hunt, simply create a list of items to find. If some of the children are quite young and aren't yet confident readers, consider using images or illustrations rather than words.

For a more challenging hunt, plant clues. Every clue a child finds will lead them to the next clue, and the final clue will lead to the treasure. Just make sure that the clues are easily identifiable, either by putting them inside a container (plastic eggs are a good choice) or flagging them with colored paper.

The difficulty level of the clues also will vary based on the children's ages. Keep them simple for the younger ones; for the older kids,
riddles will fuel the excitement. Or, you can place letters as clues. Once they've found all the letters, they'll need to unscramble the word or words to find the final treasure.

CONSIDER PHOTOS: If you'd like to incorporate an educational element, particularly if your guests are older, a photo hunt is a great idea. Put together a list of hints or riddles that lead the kids to flora, fauna or inanimate objects that exist in the natural world. Provide convenient, waterproof, disposable digital cameras and have them photograph each item as they cross it off the list. They'll build an impressive photo library of their on-water adventures, have fun together and learn something along the way... especially the Leave No Trace outdoor ethic, “Take only photographs, leave only footprints.“

PRIZES: As with anything kid-centric, this is the most important part of the whole equation. What will the children win? With younger kids, the final treasure could be as simple as sweet treats or goody bags for everyone. For older children, you can offer passes for the movies, local waterpark or theme park. If you'd like to have special prizes for first, second and third place, consider offering some sort of goody bag for all the participants. It's wonderful to have the excitement and thrill of a real competition with prizes at stake, but everyone should take home a little something from the day.

CELEBRATION: Plan to do something a little special after the treasure hunt is over. If the treasure included passes to the movies or perhaps a trip to Chuck E Cheese, head over there with the gang when the day's on-water fun is done. You also can host a barbecue, or invite everyone to watch a movie tied into your theme.

Treasure Hunt “Must Have” List:

• Decorations, if you've decided to have a themed treasure hunt. Your pontoon boat can easily become a mighty pirate ship, a clownfish's aquarium, a curious rabbit hole or an archaeological headquarters... whatever will serve as a magical gateway for the adventures to come.

• A treasure map. This can add an extra dimension of excitement to the hunt, defining the scope of the world you've created.

• Disposable digital cameras, if you've chosen to host a photo hunt.

• Comfortable clothing and shoes. Depending on the size and scale of your hunt, you may end up walking quite a bit. Advise your children and their guests to do the same.

• Hats and sunscreen.

• Safety gear for every person on board.

• First-Aid kit.

• Plenty of water and juice for thirsty hunters.

• Snacks.

Final Tip:
Don't think that treasure hunts are just for kids. If you're looking to celebrate a special occasion with your own friends, a treasure hunt can prove to be just as exciting for grown-ups. Choose a theme, have everyone chip in for a killer grand prize, create some special decoration for you party barge, plan an outstanding post-hunt celebration and let the games begin!

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