Page 230 - Free the Idea Monkey

PARENTING SERENDIPITY
We have a tradition in our family. When our kids are about seven

or eight, we go on a treasure hunt. Since all kids are now researchers
(thank you Google) we think it is important to dig where pirates once
roamed. That’s why our first treasure hunt was in Jamaica and our
second was in Costa Rica.

The hunt starts when dad—that’s me—mysteriously “finds”
a map online. (A note of warning: constructing one of these maps
nearly led to our Chicago office burning down on a Sunday after-
noon. Adding burned edges to the map is a nice touch, but be care-
ful!) In Costa Rica, we were trying to find the treasure of Captain
Benito “Bloody Sword” Bonito, the “handsome” pirate who buried his
treasure somewhere in Costa Rica around 1835. Here are a few lines
from the Costa Rican map:

Look for the tallest of the trees that you spy,
Count ten paces to the ocean ye go
Then to the south twenty go by

Yer closer to me treasure than Ye know...

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