Adventure Bag for Boys and Girls

Handmade Adventure Bags for Girls and Boys @ AVirtuousWoman.org

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.

Handmade Adventure Bags for Girls and Boys @ AVirtuousWoman.org

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

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.

Handmade Adventure Bags for Girls and Boys @ AVirtuousWoman.org

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}.

Handmade Adventure Bags for Girls and Boys @ AVirtuousWoman.org

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.

Handmade Adventure Bags for Girls and Boys @ AVirtuousWoman.org

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:

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

  1. Swiss Family Robinson
  2. The Story of King Arthur
  3. Island of the Blue Dolphins
  4. Time at the Top
  5. The Dangerous Book for Boys
  6. The Daring Book for Girls
  7. Camp Out: The Ultimate Guide for Kids
  8. Survivor Kid: A Practical Guide to Wilderness Survival
  9. Expert Companion: Outdoor Skills and Tips
  10. Adventurous Femininity on CD

What would you put in an Adventure Bag?

 

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