Unwrap More Than Chocolate: Easter Adventures Await!

Easter Ideas and Activities for the Whole Family!

TT Strange Times Issue 1 - Keeping Families Entertained

Latest TT Strange Times News

Browse by section below:

Inspirational People – For Inspirational Times...

Inspirational People –
For Inspirational Times...

A closer look at another inspirational figurehead…

>> Click here to be inspired!

Let's Get Moving...

Let's
Get Moving…

Whether you’re inside or outside in your garden, try these fun ideas to keep your mind and body busy!

>> I want to get some FRESH AIR FUN…

Getting YUMMY With it...

Getting YUMMY
With it…

With a different recipe or foody suggestion for each issue, there’s no need to get food bored!

>> Yummy, yummy, get in my tummy!

Our TOP Five...

Our TOP
Five...

A pick of five top items for this issue, ready for you to delve into…

>> Show me the TOP five items now!

Competition Time!

Competition
Time!

Why not enter our themed competition? You could win a Treasure Trails gift voucher in preparation for when we can all get back out there!

>> Don’t leave me out – I want to win!

Puzzle Time...

Puzzle
Time…

Exercise your mind as well as your body with our selection of quizzes!

>> Stretch my mind please…



Stay Home > Protect The NHS > Save Lives

If you suspect that you may have contracted Coronavirus, use the link below – and follow the latest advice as offered by the NHS:

>> NHS – Symptoms and what to doCoronavirus (COVID-19)

 

 

Inspirational People – For Inspirational Times:

William Wordsworth

William Wordsworth

Wordsworth

While we wander lonely as a cloud during self-isolation, we can’t help but be inspired by renowned poet, William Wordsworth. After all, this week marks his 250th birthday!

Wordsworth was born in Cockermouth, Cumbria on 7th April 1770, and lived there until he was 8-years-old. His childhood home – now a National Trust property – had a beautiful garden backing onto the river. The young William loved playing there, instilling in him his love of nature.

Through his teenage years and into his early twenties, Wordsworth spent his time studying, writing and travelling extensively – initially back to Hawkshead, but also on walking tours to beautiful landscapes. During one walking tour to Europe, he journeyed through the Alps, visiting the neighbouring France, Italy and Switzerland too.

Inspirational People – For Inspirational Times: William Wordsworth - who would have discovered inspiring views like these in the Alps.

But the moment that changed the poetic landscape forever took place in 1795 when Wordsworth met Samuel Taylor Coleridge and they became fast friends. The pair, with insights from William’s sister Dorothy, created one of the most important works in the English Romantic Movement – the first volume of Lyrical Ballads. Though the pair weren’t named as authors, the volume contained one of Wordsworth’s most famous poems – Tintern Abbey – beside Coleridge’s epic poem The Rime of the Ancient Mariner.

As “The Lake Poets”, alongside Robert Southey, Poet Laureate, they motivated generations of poets to visit the Lake District for the experience of quiet and solitude, including Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats. These isolated places and ideals didn’t work for everyone, though – although one of the leading figures of the Romantic Movement, Lord Byron was not a fan and refused to visit.

With delightful poems such as Tintern Abbey, and Daffodils (or, I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud) it’s easy to see how Wordsworth was inspired by the countryside around him. However, his lesser-known poems, while still beautiful, tell tales of sorrow and grief sparked by his life. All in all, as a founding father of England’s Romantic Movement, it’s safe to say William Wordsworth created stunning poems that are still relevant centuries later.

Inspirational People – For Inspirational Times: William Wordsworth - Daffodils everywhere!

Want a little more Wordsworth in your life?

We’ve gathered three Trails set in locations that inspired his romantic verses – the perfect way to connect with the poet’s love of nature – once we’re able to get back out there!

 

Start where it all began in Cockermouth, the birthplace of Wordsworth. On this Treasure Hunt Trail, poetry lovers will see the bronze bust of the Romantic and explore the fascinating history of the town.

Although Wordsworth didn’t write the famous Tintern Abbey poem while visiting the religious site, he did compose the verses in his head on the journey Bristol. This Spy Mission explores the grounds and village surrounding the ancient Abbey.

Explore the final resting place of William Wordsworth and the nearby Daffodil Garden on a Treasure Hunt Trail. Admire the quaint village of Grasmere and take in the iconic natural beauty of the location.


 

Let’s Get Moving:

Time for some Physical Activities!

Indoor Arena:

The Grand Easter Egg Hunt Around Your Home!

This fun activity is a real twist on the traditional Easter Egg Hunt!
Instead of hiding eggs outside, where wild squirrels could easily take them, we hold the entire hunt around the inside of your house!

The idea is that the hunter is looking for six coloured paper eggs, hidden around the home but rather than just randomly searching, the hunter has to crack a code to find the whereabouts of the eggs.

The location of each egg is then worked out by using our unique Treasure Trails Code Wheel!

When the eggs have all been found, the hunter must add up all the numbers on them to get an overall total. If they give you the correct total they can then have their chocolate (or other treat of your choice) reward!

This activity is aimed at children aged about 7 to 14 but of course younger hunters can always help with the searching!

TT Strange Times: The Grand Easter Egg Hunt Around Your Home!

Ready to get started? Great – this is what you’ll need:

Kit provided:
Kit needed:
  • A printer
  • Some A4 paper
  • A paper clip or pin
  • A pair of scissors
Instructions for how to make your Easter Egg Hunt:
  1. Print out The Code Wheel, the page of Eggs and the Clues after downloading them from the links above.
  2. Get a pair of scissors and carefully cut out the two code wheels:
INDOOR ARENA: The Grand Easter Egg Hunt Around Your Home! Carefully cut out the codeweel...
  1. Get a pin or paper clip and carefully stick it through the exact centre of the two code wheels so that the Top Code Wheel is on top of the Base Code Wheel. The Top Code Wheel should be able to spin around now:
INDOOR ARENA: The Grand Easter Egg Hunt Around Your Home! use a paper clip to carefully pierce a hole through the 2 layers...
  1. Cut out the six eggs. (If you wish, you could stick the page onto cardboard before cutting out the eggs to make them a bit more robust!)
  2. Have a look at the clue cards and choose the six locations that are most suitable for your house where you are running this hunt. Cut out these six cards and keep them ready to hand out when you start the hunt.
  3. Now hide one egg in each of the six locations you have chosen. Make sure the hunter doesn’t see you do this!
  4. When ready, give the first clue to the hunter. After each egg has been found hand out the next clue until all six eggs have been found.
  5. Tell the hunter to add up all the numbers on the eggs and have your prize ready for the hunter when he/she reveals the correct total to you.

 

How the Code Wheel works:

By lining up the Base Code Wheel with the Top Code Wheel as described in each of the clues, the secret code can be cracked by converting the numbers to letters.  The clue will be a location that will lead the hunter to where each egg is hidden. It might be necessary to adjust the wheel slightly at times to ensure all the numbers and letters line up.

For example:

If the code were K=36, W=12, A=26; and the clue was:  4, 3, ‐ 23, 30, ‐ 28, 33, 26, 34, 7

By lining up the Base and Top Code Wheel so that K=36, W=12 and A=26 as shown in this photograph: ‘4, 3, ‐ 23, 30, ‐ 28, 33, 26, 34, 7’ spells out ‘On ‐ the – Chair’. So, the coloured egg would be hidden ‘On the chair’.

 

INDOOR ARENA: The Grand Easter Egg Hunt Around Your Home! How the Code Wheel works...
Answers:

The possible clue locations (remember to only choose 6)

Clue 1 – Using the code: Y=4, A=16 and K=26, the clue: 30, 29 – 13,20 -34,30,21,16 is decoded as ‘on the sofa’.

Clue 2 – Using the code: H=21, D=17 and Q=30, the clue: 6, 17, 18, 31 – 2, 28, 34, 31 – 5, 17 is decoded as ‘under your bed’.

Clue 3 – Using the code: Z=9, OF=13 and L=31, the clue: 11,27, 28, 33,23 – 17, 24 – 32, 28, 22, 1, 34, 6, 20, 5, 24 is decoded as ‘behind the microwave’.

Clue 4 – Using the code: W=12, IN=16 and B=27, the clue: 18,29,30,7 – 23,30 – 9,11 is decoded as ‘under the tv’.

Clue 5 – Using the code: G=36, A=30 and X=17, the clue: 16, 2, 13, 1 – 18, 8, 14, 11 – 12, 8, 32, 4, 12 is decoded as ‘with your socks’.

Clue 6 – Using the code: TH=22, D=28 and K=35,  the clue: 17, 28, 29,6 – 22, 29 – 36, 25, 17, 28, 6, 13 is decoded as ‘under the laundry’.

Clue 7 – Using the code: Q=19, W=25 and OR=1, the clue: 30, 10, 29, 6 – 36, 7 – 13, 7, 22, 22, 14, 7 is decoded as ‘behind the kettle’.

Clue 8 – Using the code: A=8, P=23 and Z=33, the clue: 34 – 5, 12 – 9, 8, 5 is decoded as ‘in the bath’.

Clue 9 – Using the code: OE=8, G=19 and V=34, the clue: 3 – 13 – 31, 20, 8 is decoded as  ‘in a shoe’.

Clue 10 – Using the code: E=24, M=32 and 8=Y, the clue: 10 – 17, 24 – 16, 28, 23, 14 is decoded as ‘in the fridge’.

The answer to the sum is 55  (3 + 5 + 8 + 10 + 12 + 17)

Enjoyed the Hunt? Why not create your own clues and locations whilst still using the Code Wheel!

Easter Egg Hunt Around Your Home

 


 

Fresh air fun:

The Treasure Trails Garden Games Modern Pentathlon for 2020

Grab your trainers, gather your household and compete in your very own sporting challenge – all in the privacy of your backyard!

Over the coming weeks, we’ll be releasing the five slightly wacky events to compete in, all easy and cheap to organise. With your own garden pentathlon, you’ll all have great fun while slipping some exercise into your day!

Before we get onto the first event, here are some ground rules on scoring, and some suggestions on how to make your events even more spectacular!

Scoring System
  • If there are enough members in your household, create teams of two people to compete instead of competing as individuals.
  • Points are awarded per event. After competing in each event, rank the teams from first to last. The winning team should be awarded five points, the second team four points and so on.
  • The team that has the most points after the final, fifth event will win the gold medal (and eternal glory!).

 

Some Fun Ideas!

Want to go all out and make these events a really memorable experience for the whole family? We’ve got some great ideas for you:

  • Create your own Garden Pentathlon torch.
  • Split into teams before you start tackling the events and have each team design and create their own flags.
  • Hold an opening ceremony, with teams marching into the garden, with their flags and torch, to the tune of Chariots of Fire.
  • Prepare sporting themed party food if you’ve got the supplies, or channel Wimbledon with post-event strawberries and cream.
  • Create your own gold, silver and bronze medal ribbons, and hold a closing ceremony for the prize-giving (to the tune of We Are the Champions, of course!).

Ready to get started? Here’s your first event!

Event 1: The Paper Aeroplane Javelin

For your first event, ace athletes, it’s time to discover whose paper aeroplane javelin can fly the furthest!
You will need:
  • An A4 sheet of paper per athlete.
  • A measuring tape.
  • A piece of fabric, tape or similar to create a throwing line
FRESH AIR FUN: The Treasure Trails Garden Games Modern Pentathlon for 2020 - Event 1: The Paper Aeroplane Javelin
Instructions:

Using a piece of A4 paper, each individual athlete must create a single paper aeroplane. Then, launch the aeroplane from the throwing line in the hope of winning gold for their team!

Not sure how to make a paper aeroplane? Follow the simple guide by clicking here; however, don’t follow the bonus suggestion – this is against the rules (see below).

 

Garden Games Committee rules:
  • The paper planes must look like aeroplanes and cannot just be scrunched up into balls and thrown.
  • As standard, planes must follow the simple format as shown in the link above. If you would like to get extra creative and make more complicated planes, this must be discussed beforehand and agreed by everyone.
  • Planes must be formed entirely of one sheet of A4 paper. This paper cannot be ripped, cut or modified to make it fly further.
  • The distance is measured from the throwing line to the point where the paper plane first touches down.
  • If a player crosses the throwing line, that throw will be disqualified, but they will be given a second chance to throw again.
  • The plane that flies the furthest will win the most points. Only one plane per team will score points for that team.

Awarding of Points

That was some fantastic competing, athletes – you all did fantastically!

Time now to have a post event mini-points awarding gathering for this event, to reward the winning competitors so far.

Remember to save the tally of points for each of the winning teams, so that they can work towards ultimately winning that coveted Gold Medal at the closing ceremony!

Don’t forget to join us next time, for Event #2 – The Synchronised Garden Swim!


 

Getting YUMMY With It…

Super Simple Easter Egg Rocky Road

Getting YUMMY With It... Super Simple Easter Egg Rocky Road

Now it’s time to try our Super Simple Easter Egg Rocky Road!

 

Ingredients:

400g milk chocolate

200g mini eggs

100g digestive biscuits

100g mini marshmallows

Method:

  1. Put the biscuits in a freezer bag (or similar) and bash them with a rolling pin until they are small chunks. Put them to one side.
  2. Put the mini eggs in a freezer bag (or similar) and bash them with a rolling pin until they too are small chunks. Put them to one side.
  3. Break the chocolate into small pieces and then melt in a bowl over a saucepan of hot water. It is important that you don’t get any water in the chocolate! When the chocolate has melted, remove the bowl from the saucepan.
  4. Stir the biscuits into the melted chocolate (you might need a bigger bowl at this stage).
  5. Stir the mini eggs into the chocolate/biscuit mixture.
  6. Stir in the mini marshmallows, ensuring everything is blended together well.
  7. Tip the mixture into a lined tin/tray.
  8. Press the mixture down evenly and firmly.
  9. Put into fridge and find something fun to do for an hour whilst you are waiting for it to set!
  10. After an hour, remove the tin/tray from the fridge and cut the Rocky Road into small (it’s very rich!) bars. Enjoy.

Follow the latest guidance and advice as offered by HM Government:

>> Gov.uk – Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do

Coronavirus (COVID-19): what you need to do

 

Our TOP Five…

Puzzle Books

Top Puzzle books

At Treasure Trails, we love a good puzzle (stating the obvious a little bit, I know). But as much as we enjoy getting stuck into the puzzle section of the newspaper, or the latest edition of Puzzler, we can’t help but challenge ourselves to something a little trickier too.

So, we’ve compiled five of our favourite puzzle books for you to take a peek at. At the time of writing, they’re all available through online shops for you to get your hands on if you fancy an extra challenge too!

Our TOP Five... Puzzle Books - Our choice of some of the great puzzle reads available out there right now!
Bletchley Park Brainteasers by Sinclair McKay

Our Resident Wordsmith, Rachel, picked this at Christmas and was instantly hooked! Filled with a range of crossword puzzles, codebreakers, riddles and more, there are plenty of problems to keep your brain working at full steam for weeks on end (months, even).

If you’re fascinated by history, this book of brainteasers also contains intriguing records and stories from Bletchley Park and the codebreakers of WWII. Rachel hopes she’ll get through them all by this Christmas so she can get her hands-on Sinclair’s Scotland Yard and Secret Service books too!

Want to tackle these brainteasers yourself? You can buy the book on Amazon and Waterstones.

Our TOP Five… Puzzle Books - Bletchley Park Brainteasers by Sinclair McKay
The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book

It turns out you CAN explore the UK during lockdown – all from the comfort of your sofa! We’re brushing up on our map reading skills and getting excited about exploring with the Ordnance Survey’s book of map-based mind-twisters.

We may not be map-reading whizzes, but these brainteasers have a range of difficulties so even novices can give them a go. Plus, there are some fab historical maps in there too, and some fun facts to keep us entertained.

Ready to explore from home? You can buy the book on Amazon and Waterstones.

Our TOP Five… Puzzle Books - The Ordnance Survey Puzzle Book
Escape Room Puzzles by James Hamer-Morton

At Treasure Trails HQ, when we’re not out on a Trail adventure, we love grouping together and tackling an escape room. In fact, Trail Mechanic Kylie is the undefeated champion of super quick escapes! Luckily, we’ve got our hands on the Escape Room Puzzles to keep us going while we’re stuck at home.

With traditional puzzles and interactive elements, it’s a race against the clock to guide investigative journalist Adam Parkinson through the book and help him to escape to the next location. Plus, you don’t even have to be an escape room pro, as there are three difficulty levels. We think Kylie is going to have some serious competition next time…

Want to escape your four walls? You can buy the book on Amazon and Waterstones.

Our TOP Five… Puzzle Books - Escape Room Puzzles by James Hamer-Morton
The Ultimate Mathematical Challenge

We’re not exactly mathematical geniuses at Treasure Trails, but we do need to get our numeracy skills up to scratch so we can set those sneaky number based Clues! With The Ultimate Mathematical Challenge, there’s a whole year’s worth of maths-based conundrums to solve!

Luckily, you don’t have to have up-to-date and in-depth knowledge of the mathematical world to give these a go, just a little dose of numerical skill and logical thinking. It’s a great way to give your brain a workout and cure boredom while learning a little on the way.

Need to do some number-crunching? You can buy the book on Amazon and Waterstones.

Our TOP Five… Puzzle Books - The Ultimate Mathematical Challenge
Collins Pub Quiz

Okay, we’re missing the local pub quiz right now. With our bank of fun facts and a love of learning, quizzes are a super fun social activity! So, we’re getting prepared for our ultimate comeback by challenging each other to great questions set by Collins Pub Quiz.

They’ve set out 500 quizzes, including themed ones, and a total of 10,000 questions all in one book! We can challenge each other from afar and test our knowledge on a variety of topics and keep our brains active. When this is all over, team Clue Crew will be on top form!

Feel like getting quizzical? You can buy the book on Amazon and Waterstones.

Our TOP Five… Puzzle Books - Collins Pub Quiz
Our Survey Says…

That’s our top five for some fun, puzzling entertainment, but we’d love to hear yours too! Leave a comment, or tag us on social media using #OurSurveySays to let us know your go-to puzzle books to keep your brain active. Let’s see if we can crack them too!


 

Competition Time!

Are YOU a Poet – But You Didn’t Know It?

Poetry Competition!

In honour of the 250th anniversary of William Wordsworth’s birth we invite you to try your hand at some poetry!

 

However, the type of poem we want is very specific – we would like you to come up with a limerick!

A limerick is a 5-line poem where the first, second, and fifth lines rhyme with each other and the third and fourth lines rhyme with each other.

The first, second, and fifth lines have 7-10 syllables and the third and fourth lines have 5-7 syllables.

Competition Time! Are YOU a Poet – But You Didn’t Know It?
Here’s an example for you:

I bumped into the Easter Bunny
The encounter was really quite funny
I discovered this rabbit
Has a very strange habit
Like Pooh Bear, he loves to eat honey!

To get your creative juices flowing, we have done the first line for you!

On a recent warm sunny day

Good luck!

* Bonus point for anyone who knows where the text in the image above come from as well! – SEE ANSWER BELOW!

UPDATE: This competition is now closed. Closing date for entry was midday, Friday 24th April 2020.

 

The winning limerick is:

On a recent warm sunny day
In a meadow of flowers, I lay
A bumblebee came
And asked my my name
Then merrily buzzed on its way!

by Deborah Gilpin (now aka Wordsworth!)

Congratulations to the new Wordsworth – a Treasure Trails Voucher has been emailed to you!

Thanks to everyone who entered! We had so many amazing entries that we had to pick 4 runner’s up as well! Here they are:

On a recent warm sunny day
I went out with the dog for a play
He chased after a cat
Pulled me on my face flat
Now my knees are all purple and grey.

A true story by Deborah Williams

On a recent warm sunny day
I wished to go out of my way
To have an adventure
But oh! What a quencher!
The lockdown’s extended ’til May!

by Wendy Cowgill

On a recent warm sunny day
I was walking the West Highland Way
There were so many miles
And quite a few stiles
That I wished I had started last May!

by Gavin Pearson

On a recent warm sunny day
I was eating an ice cream sundae
Then it started to snow.
I thought, “Oh dear no!”
So sped down a hill on my sleigh!

by Elizabeth Lyne

* As for the bonus point – the quote “I walked about a bit on my own” was taken from the 1980’s Heineken advert (other lagers are available):

Video Player
00:00
01:10

 

Puzzle Time…

Time to Grab That Thinking Cap Again!

So now’s your chance to get your mind active…

We’ve put together some fab puzzles for you to crack (get it?)…

To start off with, click on the following image to open a download and print out our:

Secret Riddle Easter Word Search!

Once you’ve found all the themed words, see if you can reveal the answer to the riddle contained within.

(If you get stuck, don’t worry, you can find the answers for it here!)

Puzzle Time... Easter Wordsearch

Wordsworth Poetic Acrostic

To celebrate the life of Wordsworth, this acrostic has a poetic twist! Click on the image opposite to download the puzzle sheet and instructions. Solve the clues below and enter your answers into the boxes next to them – one letter per box.

Once solved, the letters in the numbered boxes can be copied into the matching numbered boxes below. This will give you a quote from a piece of prose written by a famous poet, who happened to be friends with Wordsworth.

The first column of your answer grid, when read vertically, will reveal this poet’s surname!

(Stuck? don’t worry, the answers for it can be found here!)

Puzzle Time... Wordsworth Poetic Acrostic

Tristan’s “Evil” Observational Puzzle!
Falmouth: Discovery Quay

While we, like you, have been working at home in isolation, we couldn’t resist the chance to go through some of our archive of location images to come up with some alternative “Evil” observational challenges for you – BWAHAHAHAHAAAA!

Click on the image opposite to open a larger version. It was taken along the route of our Super Sneaky Falmouth Secret Spy Mission. Study it closely and then answer the three sneaky questions of various difficulty below.

Easy Peasy…
Our easy level question is:

If you started at the Moor, how many minutes would it take you to get from The Moor to Pendennis Point?

Mind Twister…
Our medium level question is:

Multiply the number of windows in the brickwork of the round tower in the background by the number of red stripes on the walls of the shed. Add this subtotal to the number of galleries.

Brain Buster…
Our hard level question is:

Using the paragraph of text on the DISCOVERY QUAY information board, work out what is missing from the following sequence:

y, y, s, _, s, _, e, _, e, m, l

(Don’t worry – we won’t make you wait a month for the answers – if you are stuck, they can be found here!)

Puzzle Time... Tristan’s "Evil" Observational Puzzle...
NHS Heroes Poster

Show your love for our NHS Heroes – by downloading and printing out this poster to put in your front window:

>> Download and print your NHS – Heroes Poster here

and don’t forget to show your support by sending a heart via this NHS Gratitude map:
https://www.thanksamillionnhs.co.uk/