Printable Treasure Gems With a Hidden Word

Six gems, and a word hidden in them. Each gem carries one letter and one color. Hunt down all six, set them out in rainbow order, and the letters spell the place the treasure is hidden. It is a whole treasure hunt on one sheet of paper, and it takes about ten minutes to set up.

How the puzzle plays

1. The kids hunt the house for six paper gems.
2. Each gem has a letter in the middle and a color: ruby red, amber orange, citrine yellow, emerald green, sapphire blue and amethyst purple.
3. On the Gem Chest card, they put each gem on its own color, red first and purple last, the way a rainbow runs.
4. Read from left to right, the six letters spell PILLOW. The treasure is under a pillow.

Setting it up

1. Print page 1 on a color printer. No color ink? Print page 2 on any printer and have the kids color the gems in first: the color is written on each one.
2. Cut out the six gems and the Gem Chest card. Card stock holds up best, but plain paper is fine.
3. Put the treasure under a pillow: a small toy, a few chocolate coins, or a note that says what is for dessert.
4. Hide the gems. One in each room makes the hunt last longer; all six in one room suits the youngest hunters.
5. Hand over the Gem Chest card and tell them six gems have gone missing, and the gems know where the treasure is.

In the classroom

Print one set per table and hide the gems around the room before the kids come in. Each team hunts for one color, and the word only appears when every team brings theirs to the front. Put the class treat under the reading corner cushion. The grown-up page has the answer, so any helper can check a team.

What is in the download

• Page 1: six gems and the Gem Chest card, in color.
• Page 2: the same page in ink-saver line art, for coloring in.
• Page 3: for the grown-up: how to set it up, hints if they get stuck, and the answer.