Since I can remember, every Easter included a treasure hunt, a real one with oodles of clues and plenty of booty. My Dad hand-wrote, rhyming clues on slips of yellow legal pad paper and hid them through out the house in colorful plastic eggs. So crafty was he, you might find an egg taped to a wall, a clue. Or 3 five-dollar bills tacked under a bench, the booty. (My younger brother and sister and I were the last of seven hunters.) No limits in creativity from this Easter Bunny. We loved these hunts and begged for them even into college. The Easter Bunny was not ready to retire, so our request was happily granted.
I am passing down the tradition to my kids and any kids lucky enough to be in town and at our house on Easter. The clues are divided evenly, as decided by the kids. Surprisingly, they really follow this rule. Easiest clues go to the youngest, marked by me. I rotate clues front yard to backyard to keep them hopping. The kids are fast, plenty of Scooby Doo episodes on their mystery-cracking resumes. But it’s twenty minutes of non-electronic fun with real winnings.
While the kids are scrambling for clues outside, the parents are finishing dessert and getting the clues inside. I read my mystery rhymes out loud to our grown-up bunch. Scrunched up faces try to work out the solutions in their head. Some are tough nuts to crack, or should I say eggs? It’s fun for all and fun to see an adult race for the answer.
For a simple post, here are the Easter clues for 2012. I still haven’t picked the treasure spot or an order. No texting the kids on Easter if they try for a lifeline. Warning: I stopped writing poetry after third grade; you might notice. How many can you guess?
1.
Lizards and weeds hide in these.
Standing just above a knee.
A simple wall,
Can hide it all.
2.
Little Sis from the Hunger Games.
Can you remember her name?
Front or back?
Plan your attack.
3.
Named for a tree.
It holds 2 plus (2 X 3).
The GREAT WHITE BUS,
Is perfect for US.
4.
Hanging like a purple grape cluster.
See if you can be a mighty clue buster.
Tall and wide.
Look deep inside.
5.
Half an Arnold Palmer Drink,
Take a moment; try to think.
Where or where could this be?
It’s really easy to spot this tree.
6.
Traveling at the speed of snails,
Messages arrive so unlike emails.
You can see and feel,
And open it for real.
7.
How great it would be,
If these were real for you and me.
So colorful and bright, but not a bloom.
If eaten, you will meet your doom.
8.
Purple leaves to the top,
A place where only squirrels can stop.
For you to reach, look further down.
Maybe even to the ground.
9.
This is a great hiding space.
Keeping it all in its place.
A long, long, long green mangle,
Winds and winds and never tangles.
10.
What a comfy chair?
A place to stop and stare.
Passersby may wave at you,
Happily, you will wave a little too.
Answers: 1.Rock wall. 2.Primrose. 3.Sequoia. 4.Lilac Bush. 5.Lemon Tree. 6.Mailbox. 7.Painted Clay Mushroom. 8.Plum Tree. 9.Garden Hose Box. 10.Front Porch Chair.
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