Adventure Bag for Boys and Girls
A Life of Adventure
I remember when I was kid I dreamed of living a life of adventure. Being shipwrecked like the Swiss Family Robinson, hunting for treasure like Indiana Jones, solving mysteries like Nancy Drew. As a girl, I loved tromping through the woods on our 12 acre homestead – my imagination wild with ideas of mystery and secrets.
As an adult, the greatest adventure I’ve ever had was the All Girl, 24 mile, 4 Days Backpacking Trip in the Wilderness we took a couple of years ago.
I would have loved to have my own treasure gear. I wish I had thought of this handmade gift when my girls were little. They would have loved this.
So, I made these adventure bags for my grandsons. It took a little time, but not much and I was so proud of the finished results!
Handmade Adventure Bag for Boys and Girls
Materials for each Adventure Bag
- 1 brown pillow case
- cardboard or poster board
- acrylic paint in a variety of colors
- fabric paint tubes
- thin paint brushes
- pencil
- 1/2 yard duck cloth or canvas cloth
- a map to look at for ideas
- twine
- orange zipper pouch
- letter stencils
- lighter or matches
How to Make the Map
This adventure bag idea was inspired by this map made by Make the Best of Everything. I cut out a nice large size rectangle from the duck cloth. After I was finished painting the map, I burned the edges, so keep that in mind.
I looked a the picture of the map I liked {linked above} and drew something similar lightly with a pencil. I wanted more of a Crusaders feel to my map {instead of the Devil’s Island feel} to give it a Christian overtone. So, I added a ship with the Crusaders symbol in the left bottom corner.
After drawing the map with the pencil, I took a fine tipped paint brush and added in the colors and details. I used black fabric paint to outline the map as well as blue fabric paint to outline the waves – this gave the map some raised texture. Once the map was dry, I burned the edges being careful not to burn too much.
The Adventure Bags were made out of brown pillow cases. I inserted a piece of cardboard or poster board to keep the pain from bleeding through. I used the army looking alphabet stencils to paint the word ADVENTURE. Then, I used a thin paint brush to draw a dotted line leading to an X {as in X marks the spot}.
The GEAR bag was a bright orange sturdy zippered pouch I found at Wal-Mart. I inserted a piece of cardboard in the center and stenciled the word GEAR in black across the front.
The Adventure Bag was tied closed with a long strand of rustic twine. I included a number of fun things in the bags as well:
- headlamp
- compass
- a roll of leftover twine
- a big white flat sheet {to build a fort with}
- amphibian field guide
- magnifying glass
- pirate telescope
- nautical journal
- a large feather
This is the perfect handmade gift to spark the imagination with endless possibilities for play! To further the imagination, why not give the gift of a wonderful adventure book {or two or three} as well!
Adventure Books for Kids
- Swiss Family Robinson
- The Story of King Arthur
- Island of the Blue Dolphins
- Time at the Top
- The Dangerous Book for Boys
- The Daring Book for Girls
- Camp Out: The Ultimate Guide for Kids
- Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival
- Expert Companion: Outdoor Skills and Tips
- Adventurous Femininity on CD
What would you put in an Adventure Bag?
