Searching for Treasures - Fun imagination activity

Easy supplies science & mathematics activity

Activity summary

This is not JUST another science activity – it’s a play-based, hands-on STEAM activity. It will keep your children extra engaged & motivated, which helps them learn!

In this activity, your children will be little investigators helping Pi the investigator to solve tricky problems and find creative answers to the question: Can I bury my own treasure? By doing that, they get to practice concepts like imagination, and more.

Activity length: 20-30 minutes

Subjects: Science, Mathematics, Language

Adapt for your age group

Beginner: Ages 3-4 Standard: Ages 4-6 Advanced: Ages 6-8

Supply list

For this activity, you need only these simple supplies:

bags, pouches or baskets
treasures for the scientists to find

You can also use

empty toilet paper or kitchen towel rolls

What will your children learn?

Your children will learn to:

Observe and name the objects’ properties.
Sort everyday objects into lines based on their properties.
Classify the objects into groups based on their properties.
Practice counting.
Tell stories together and figure out new ways to use the objects.

while practicing these concepts:

imagination

Instructions

Step 1: Introduce the problem with a story letter

Play-based learning starting circle — Teacher introducing the reseach problem through the letter that arrived from Supraland

In this play-based activity, your children will lead the investigation as an investigator. When children role play as investigators, they learn so much better! Try starting with a little ‘spin’ to get into character! Then, they can help Pi the investigator solve some tricky problems in their new role.

Before the activity, prepare your supplies and print the letter.

Pro tip:

When children play as scientists, they think like scientists. Try using “scientist jackets” to help them really get into character!

When you start the activity, introduce the research problem in the form of a letter that arrived from Supraland where Pi the investigator lives.

You might be wondering: “Why should I use a story?”

Well, when you introduce a research problem through play and imaginary characters rather than just stating cold facts, children will be extra motivated to solve the problem for their new imaginary friends. Academic research shows this results in increased engagement, better focus, and improved learning outcomes.

You can find the story for this activity below (register for free to print this & many more free activities!).

Hello scientists! It’s me, Pi!

Shhhh… Hoseli and I are having an adventure in the most remote corner of the Secret Forest. It is a secret place full of treasures!

We have just one small obstacle between us and the treasure hunt – a large, snoring Lumpy Plumpy is sleeping in front of the treasures.

If the Lumpy Plumpy wakes up, he is usually starving and might eat all the treasures! Silly Lumpy Plumpy!

We need to save the treasures before the Lumpy Plumpy wakes up.

Could you, scientists, help us to gather the treasures according to the following clues:

“One treasure has a funny shape indeed, another is as hard as a stone. The third one, however, it’s tiny like a bead! Are these treasures to you now known? And one of the treasures can be anything; as long as you like it, to the pile it bring! Now, find one more treasure, my friend! That was the last one; now you’ve reached the end! Together, let’s look at this beautiful mound: how many treasures have we found?”

But remember, don’t wake the Lumpy Plumpy!

Excited about the treasure hunt, Pi

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Step 2: Have the kids conduct the experiment

Preschool science & mathematics activity project — Activity photos

Kids conducting a play-based activity — Activity photos

After the child understands the problem, it’s time for some hands-on experimenting!

When children are doing the experiment, remind them why they want to solve the problem – to help Pi the investigator. This helps them stay engaged. If they get stuck, you can ask supporting questions like: “What do you think might help Pi the investigator to solve this problem?” If needed, you can get more ideas for guiding questions and adaptation tips for different age groups (register here to get free weekly activities).

Here are the basic steps for his activity:

Phase 1: Bags Full of Treasures

Very quietly, hand out the treasure bags and the telescopes for the scientists to prepare them for the treasure hunt.
Each scientist has an objective to collect five treasures into their bags according to the clues in the letter. You can read one clue at a time and allow the scientists to search for that specific treasure. After that, proceed to the next clue and so on. Using the telescope, observe carefully where you could find the fancy treasures and then tiptoe closer to collect them. Be careful not to wake up the Lumpy Plumpy.

Phase 2: Treasure Mathematics

Count how many treasures everyone has gathered.
Observe and present your treasures. Describe the objects together and name their properties. Tip: You can, for example, try to find different shapes in the objects. Can you find circles in some objects? Could you even find a triangle somewhere?
At this point, you can divide the scientists into pairs. The pairs continue observing the treasures.
Sort the treasures into lines.
- Sort the treasures from largest to smallest.
- Sort the treasures from softest to hardest.
- Allow the scientists to suggest how to sort the treasures next
Classify the treasures into groups.
- Classify the treasures based on color.
- Classify the treasures based on what shapes you can find in them.
- Allow the scientists to suggest the next property you use for classification.
Find a special treasure by observing and interpreting. Choose an object among the treasures that has a property no other treasure has.

Phase 3: Repurpose the Treasures

Each scientist gets to choose at least one of their treasures and figure out and tell a story about its new purpose. The scientist then shares with their peers what the treasure is and how to use it.
Finally, take the treasures to their places quietly on your tiptoes.

Pro tip: give children the freedom to get creative and explore their own solutions!

Remember: It’s an imaginary world. It’s more than ok if children don’t give the “correct” answers right away – give them time to practice their skills.
Academic research shows children learn best through child-led play and inquiry rather than following strict instructions or memorizing facts because play allows them to build meanings and connections in an age-appropriate way.
This perhaps unintuitive approach is also proven to keep children more engaged and improve their learning outcomes.

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Step 3: Conclude the story

Play-based learning ending circle — Adult wrapping up a play-based activity by encouraging children to share their findings with the character they’re helping.

To encourage children to analyze and share their learnings, you can gather in a circle to report to Pi the investigator.

Again, lead with the problem the character was experiencing in the letter. Encourage sharing wild and creative solutions without correcting children if they don’t fully understand the concept.

Remember: in playful learning, we’re not leading with scientific explantions – we’re putting the problem at hand into a context that makes sense to them. We can start building meanings from there.

Scientific explanation (for adults!)

Objects and things have different kinds of properties. We can sort and classify the objects in many ways based on them. Classification and sorting objects are essential skills for a scientist to practise since they produce information about how often a particular property is observed in a specific group. A scientist may also find something entirely new or reinforce previous findings by classifying and sorting.

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