It really is never too early to foster the inner treasure hunter in all of us. When I was a young boy away on a family vacation to the beach I remember my father planting the seed when I was only six. It was simple yet brilliant. Every year after that the hunts got more elaborate until one day as I walked along the beach with my Garrett gold detector it finally hit me. My father had been planting treasure for me to find for nearly a decade. Although I felt foolish for not realizing this earlier I was inexplicably and undeniably hooked. To this day I thank my father for introducing me to my favorite hobby. GETTING THE FAMILY INVOLVED! Any hobby that you enjoy is one that will be more easily enjoyed when you get the kids involved, sure burying an old coin in the sand will work but try to be a bit more creative. We have all heard the stories of lost treasure and forgotten gold doubloons scattered across the continent. We stayed up late to hear stories of pirates and buccaneers roaming the coastlines and occasionally meeting a premature demise with tonnes of booty still aboard their vessels, now it is time to but those stories to use. A quick rundown is as follows: To start you keep the stories simple, tell your children stories about the area you are in get them excited about the potential to find treasure. Pick a location to hide your ‘treasure’ that looks as if it has been undisturbed for some time, under a rock is always a good spot. Develop your pirate tale to include subtle inferences to your secret location. Prepare your location. This could be as easy as scratching an X on the surface of the rock for younger kids or far more elaborate as they get older. My father once dug a hole and at intervals placed sticks and seaweed to act as barricades to add to the overall experience. Think of a very small version of the Oak Island legend. Equip the kids with a good metal detector and if you have the time a crudely drawn map that you can singe around the edges for added flair. Send them off on their hunt and relax. When the kids are just starting out you can usually start them off with a nice mid range multipurpose detector. They will be able to find just about anything that you can think of to bury, whether it is copper, nickel, silver, gold, iron etc. Remember it is not so much about the treasure as it is about the hunt. As they get older the hunts have to become harder to figure out, the stories more complex and the treasures shinier but that can be dealt with as time goes by. In no time at all your children and yourself will be enjoying a fantastic hobby together and the bug will have bitten. So grab your Garret gold detector or whatever brand you chose to use and set off on a real hunt with your loved ones by your side.