Oh, 2020.

When everything in NYC shut down due to COVID in March 2020, we were left in our tiny Brooklyn home, trying to manage remote school with our sweet, bright, but extremely dreamy 6-year-old daughter who was already a bit behind her first grade class. All while I adjusted to working remotely.

All of the elementary school “specials” classes—art, music, PE, science—fell by the wayside as we focused on getting the reading and writing fundamentals done each day. And let’s be honest, it’s just not as fun for a young child to do those fun specials via zoom anyway.

Later that spring, when I was laid off from my NYC ad agency job as a producer who specialized in making printed things, it seemed like a chance to do something different. No longer tied up in the frantic pace of working remotely while essentially home-schooling a child, I started thinking about what kids were missing out on.

Adventure. Excitement. Discovery. My daughter’s favorite class had been science. What could I make that could be played at home, that would be fun and inspiring AND educational and maybe even give parents a little free time, while feeling satisfied that they had purchased something that could truly benefit their child’s innate curiosity and love of learning about cool stuff? And that wasn’t a piece of junk. So much of children’s toys and kits end up as discardable, plastic landfill junk. Could I make something that was so special that the child would want to keep it, treasure it, even the box?

And so the idea for Earth Treasure Hunt came to be. A high-design, high-quality, science-based treasure hunt, where natural Earth treasures are the prizes. And after months of development, with the help from some supremely talented (and generous) designers, photographers, retouchers, proofreaders, rock shops, a print shop and several brutally honest friends with kids, a dream came true under the darkest circumstances. The goal is that after playing Earth Treasure Hunt, the child in your life has a glimmer of excitement in their eye at the thrill of scientific discovery. Discovery can feel like magic. May that feeling that anything is possible last a lifetime.

Earth Treasure Hunt Games LLC was founded to produce high-quality, imaginative, STEM-focused children’s games with Earth’s natural treasures as the prizes. I hope Earth Treasure Hunt will become more than a single game. I envision a new educational brand for children, focused on science, an appreciation of natural earth treasures, great design and sustainability. Thank you for your interest!