Escape rooms have become incredibly popular – and they’re not just for adults. At the library, we often get requests from kids to do an escape room, and we love to make it happen because they’re fun! If you know kids who love thinking outside the box and cracking codes, then an escape room is an excellent challenge you can create for them anytime.
Idea #1: Make a Puzzle Code
I recently made an escape room for elementary-aged kids at my house, and one of the codes they had to crack was a puzzle code. I had a 24-piece puzzle in the room, and on the back of it, I wrote one of the codes they needed to escape the room.
Finding the code on the puzzle was a challenge for them, but the greater difficulty was putting the puzzle together upside down once they found it! I had planted tape in the room so the kids could make the puzzle right-side up, tape it, and flip it – but they solved it their way and that’s awesome.
Idea #2: Build a Bubble Veil
If you’re using a bathroom as one of the rooms in your game (we had the kids go between two rooms of the house) then a bubble veil is a fun surprise! I painted a code on a rock, and then placed it in the bottom of the tub with a bunch of other rocks. After adding dish soap and water, all of the rocks disappeared under the bubbles – and the kids had fun fishing for the code.
Idea #3: Create a Chemical-Reaction Code
This one took the longest for the kids to figure out, but when they did, they were thrilled. I made a baking soda-and-water paste, and I wrote the code (using the paste) on a white piece of paper. Once it was dry, the code was pretty hard to see – especially when I put the “special paper” in a pile of other white papers. In another area of the room, I hid a pipette and small container of grape juice. Once the kids found the materials, they put the juice on the message cracked the code!
I hope you have fun creating your escape room. I love the way this exercise encourages kids to look at their environment differently, experiment, and think in an inventive way. Who knows what they’ll take and make next?
Until next time,
Invent your story
A couple of weeks ago, I visited the Mount Pleasant Discovery Museum. It’s an inspiring place that ignites the imagination and teaches through hands-on activities. I love the way they use color and texture in art. Check out Saturn!
Planets from Plastic Lids
I’ve seen photographs and paintings of the planets before, but I’ve never seen them on display through reused plastic lids. Maybe I need to get out more. The mosaic effect of this eco-friendly idea is cool.
Touchable Light
Almost every corner of the MPDM had something to climb, count, throw, launch, build, or paint. Above this world of little lights, the sign said “Please Touch”. This display was neat because it was huge, and the cool, smooth textured light was a fun way to explore how color and light work together.
Colorful Cranes in Flight
The Japanese exhibit was probably my favorite. I loved watching kids paint the alphabet with water. The area was covered by a rainbow of hanging paper cranes, and it was absolutely beautiful. When I left the museum, I was ready to tackle a new colorful project of my own.
Every place has something to discover. Things we throw away can become unique art. Electricity is useful, but it can also be fun. A piece of paper can take flight when you get inventive and change its shape to create something new.
We live in a beautiful, diverse world. Every person carries wonderful colors, inside and out, that have a special place in the art that makes up our world. Wherever you go, and whatever you do today, take some time to soak up some of the beauty and be inspired.
Until next time,
Invent your story
If you like repurposed art, check out my experiment with pop cans for a new idea.