Nature's Children: The Treasure Hunt

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Maddie is four. She is bright, curious and.... busy. When she comes to my house I always have a plan to keep her occupied. Recently, we kept her all day. Here's what happensed:

Lunch: Maddie helped fix her favorite lunch, "Hammy-hammy, cheesy-cheesy, rolly-rollies". (Rolled up slices of ham and cheese.) A fancy toothpick held it together. She thinks it's even better with a long thin slice of dill pickle rolled up in the middle. She used her plastic knife to cut up strawberries for our plates. We were lucky, there was a cookie for dessert. Getting lunch ready took forever, because she was "cooking" for three.

Next, it was time for.....

Crafts: I pulled out the construction paper, glue (clear and washable), scissors (blunt and made for little fingers), and an assortment of items like googly eyes and stickers. Maddie considered my offerings and picked what she needed. She cut carefully and placed things just where she wanted them. On the other hand, she was not so careful with the glue. It dripped on the tablecloth! I just sat and watched. While her artwork dried she helped clean up the mess.

Now it was....

Daddo's Turn: Daddo, aka Ben, stepped up to the plate. He took her outside to feed the fish. Maddie threw a handfull of fish food in the direction of the pond. Some of it actually went into the water. She was delighted when the fish came to the surface to eat. Maddie and her Daddo spent a long time out there near the pond. Ben clutched the hood of her jacket.

When the fish were fed it was time for....

Toby's walk: Maddie ran in for the leash and called out, "Com'on Tobes." Toby was all excited when he saw the leash. He jumped around Maddie's feet. Maddie knows Toby won't hurt her, but she squealed anyway. Ben put the leash on Toby. Then he let Maddie hold the middle while he held the loop on the end. The three of them headed out the front door and down the sidewalk. All through the neighborhood Maddie held on to the leash and waited patiently while Toby sniffed, and sniffed and sniffed. Even though Maddie took leash duty seriously, she still took time to collect rocks. Soon her pockets were so full she had to hold on to her pants. When they got back to the house, they lined up the rocks along the top step on the front porch. Maddie planned to take all of those rocks home. Her Mom would have to deal with that when she came.

Then it was Maddie's favorite part of the day....

The Treasure Hunt: First I helped Maddie get the old pink sunhat from the bottom drawer of my dresser. Then she found the magnifying glass from her toybox. She chose the perfect color marker and waited by the back door. I brought her a paper bag and a list of "treasures" for her to find. I had written things like: the sound of a bird, a leaf shaped like a heart, a worm under a rock. She needed me to read the words, but I had drawn pictures to help her know what to look for. Maddie gathered the treasures as she went. Everything went in the bag, except for the worm. As for the birdsong, I told her to keep that in her heart. Sometimes there had been a small toy at the end of a hunt, but not today. Today the treasures were enough. She was just happy to be outside. Later she enjoyed looking at the things she found.

After the first treasure hunt, Maddie wanted to make up one of her own. We had plenty of time, so she thought of treasures for me to find. (This played out once again the week after Easter when the whole family participated in one of Maddie's treasure hunts. She took Daddo off to the gazebo. He was the scribe. He wrote down exactly what she said. We laughed at the clue that said, "Find pot in the gazebo." We don't keep pot in the gazebo. When all was said and done, twenty year-old Ivy won the prize, a half melted left-over-from-Easter chocolate rabbit that Maddie had hidden, of all places, under the bed.)

After all the treasure was found, it was....

Nap Time: But first we had to read Winnie the Pooh. Maddie and I stretched out on the bed as I read. I did the voices; Maddie turned the pages. After the story was over, she pretended to nap. Her excuse for not going to sleep? "My eyes won't close." Nap over and soon after, Mom pulled into the driveway. We ate dinner together and it was time for Maddie to go.....

Home: I waved good-bye and thought to myself, "Good job, Old Girl. Hours and hours with a four year old and not one second was spent on an I-pad or in front of the T.V."

I had discovered that for Maddie, crafts are fun but searching for treasure is the perfect way to spend an afternoon. As Maddie grows, I hope she'll continue to find her best treasures outside and that she'll always keep birdsong in her heart.

Afterword

When I was a young mother, I would have laughed at this blog. I loved my child, but couldn't just send him home after a few pleasant hours together. I didn't always have time to roll up ham and cheese slices or to sit down long enough to do craft projects. I often was too busy to dig out the old pink sunhat much less make up treasure hunts....with pictures. Sometimes I was annoyed when glue dripped on the tablecloth and too impatient to listen to excuses for not napping. For that, my son, I apologize. But now that I'm a grandmother, I have time for such things with your sweet child. I can wait for small feet to walk the dog oh, so slowly. I can let tiny fingers turn the pages of an old book. I can dream up adventures and bake cookies and do all those things that make memories for a child to take into adulthood.

Maybe that's what grandmothers are for.

Betsy Saunders

May1, 2026