Foldable Paddle Pop Stick Treasure Map

School holidays are coming up, and having a few projects to extend children’s play is a good idea if you like having ideas up your sleeve for an opportune moment. Sometimes, I put together a School Holiday Fun Box, and you can read about the sorts of things I put in it here.

This paddle pop stick foldable map is novel (it folds up like a fan as inspired by Danielle’s Place), and can be used in all sorts of backyard imaginative play. Kids could set up bases, do a pretend campfire with sticks, make ninja masks out of shirts, design flags, or even make a boat out of a cardboard box. Some supervision is required for young children for this particular project due to the need to use a craft knife. If you like the idea and you think the kids will too, I suggest making it yourself and the kids can decorate/play at the end. 

Materials

• 8 JUMBO Paddle Pop Sticks (you can get packs of these from discount/craft stores – I actually found packs for $2 at Kmart)
• Ribbon
• Glue (PVA works well)
• Template (which you can find here, or draw your own with blank template here)
• Craft Knife
• Scissors
• Ribbon
• Drawing pens (if desired) 

Instructions

Cut out two template squares. Either use the one provided below or design your own with the blank template.

2. Line up the paddle pop sticks. Place a fine layer of glue evenly over the back of one paper square (a paint brush can work). Stick on the paddle pop sticks.

3. Repeat on the other side.

4. Allow to dry. This is important so the paper cuts properly. 

5. This is the only tricky bit. On the non-map side, you need to carefully slice through the top layer of paper only with a craft knife, in between the paddle pop sticks. You do this starting with the first line, then skipping one, so on (as indicated by the red lines below).

6. On the other (map) side, cut every alternate in-between-paddle-pop-stick line.

7. Then it’s just a simple matter of folding it up like a fan.

8. Add a ribbon and words to the top if desired.

9. On the flip side, it’s blank, and kids can decorate themselves or leave blank.

Below is a video of the process. 

More Paddle Pop Stick Craft

Paddle Pop Stick Raft Boat

Paddle Pop Stick Catapult

Paddle Pop Stick Christmas Decoration

Paddle Pop Stick Mini Person Craft

Paddle Pop Stick Puzzle

Paddle Pop Stick Fairy Door

Paddle Pop Stick Notepad Holder

Paddle Pop Memory Game

Paper Paddle Pop Sticks for Imaginative Play