Compass Treasure Hunt

Compass Treasure Hunt

Compasses aren't just for finding
your way through the forest. You
can also map your way through your
house or garden and set a trail for
your friends to follow!







What You Will Need:

• A Compass
• Paper and Pencil
• Paper Cups
• A Prize (such as mini chocolate bars)
• Some Small Potatoes

What You Do:

• Place your prize (for example, a chocolate bar) under a paper cup at a random place in your house, garden, park, or backyard. Go to a starting point that is several steps away.
• Hold your compass so the needle points north. Now you know which direction is north and you can walk towards it. Keep the needle on north as you go so you stay on course.
• Plot your trail... from the starting point, walk several (counted) steps that head away in any direction from the prize, then write down the number of steps you took (for example, 9 steps North) on a piece of paper.
• While keeping the compass pointing north as a guide, change direction and make a roundabout route to the prize. Keep it simple, but not too easy. For example, you might have directions such as 9 steps north, 3 steps east, 4 steps south).
• When you have completed your route, place some potato duds around the area under more cups. This makes it impossible to find the prize cup without using the compass.
• Once your trail is set, have a friend try it out. Once they complete the trail, have them set one up for you!

The Science:

A compass is a navigational instrument for finding directions. It consists of a magnetised pointer free to align itself accurately with Earth's magnetic field. A compass provides a known reference direction which is of great assistance in navigation.