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Blueprint for Designing an Escape Room/Breakout

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Blueprint for Designing an Escape Room/Breakout

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Blueprint for crafting your 1st escape room | Designers guide

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The nitty-gritty details that'll speed up creation time, allow you to avoid common mistakes and ultimately crush it when designing your game

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Your goal is to design the most fun, challenging, immersive escape room game in your area.

Or, heck - no reason to limit yourself . . . you want to design the best escape game in the world!

To do that, you need great puzzles.

You need puzzles that will challenge your customers, but which will also be fun and just the right amount of difficult to make them enjoy solving them without getting angry or frustrated.

The puzzle ideas in Nowescape's blog, 101 Best Escape Room Puzzle Ideas, helped you get started. Now we've compiled another list to spark your imagination and help get you on the path to success.

Remember, you don't want to just copy these ideas exactly as they are. If everyone used the same puzzle ideas in their room escapes, customers would get bored pretty quickly.

Take these ideas and give them your own unique spin. Your customers will appreciate it, and your revenue will reflect it!

Let's get started!

Hidden Messages and Cyphers

Using cyphers and other techniques to hide secret messages is a great way to give players information while simultaneously ensuring that they experience some extremely satisfying wins.

Idea 1: Use a scytale cipher to hide a message.

Idea 2: Hide a message in a snote.

Idea 3: Hide a message using a red reveal technique.

Idea 4: Use a mask technique to reveal a hidden message.

Idea 5: Similar to Idea 4, use a postcard decoder to hide a message.

Idea 6. Use the NATO phonetic alphabet to create a message.

Idea 7: If appropriate for your theme, write coded messages in fictional alphabets.

Playing Hide and Seek

Finding something that has been hidden is a particularly satisfying moment for escape room players. Even if they still have to figure out what to do with the object(s) they've found, the moment of discovery always energizes everyone in the room.

Idea 8: Hide a clue inside a fortune cookie.

Idea 9: Hide plastic Easter eggs or other objects that easily break open around the room. Place slips of paper with message fragments inside them. Players must find them all to complete the message.

Idea 10: Write a message on the back of a painting.

Idea 11: Hide a message within the image in a painting.

Idea 12: Design a desk drawer or trunk with a secret compartment and hide something in it.

Idea 13: Hide a message in the underside of an umbrella. [Note: Another way to add immersion would be to give players "bad luck" once they've opened the umbrella to get the clue.]

Idea 14: Hide an object inside a skeleton's "stomach," as if it had once been swallowed. Players must unbutton the skeleton's shirt and reach between its bones to retrieve the object.

Idea 15: Place a whiteboard or chalkboard in the room with notes or equations all over it. Players must erase the chalk or dry erase ink from the board to reveal a message written in permanent ink.

Idea 16: Place an ancient research diary (à la Professor Jones' diary) in the room. Hide cryptic clues throughout the notes scribbled within.

Idea 17: Leave a blank notepad on a desk. Players must scribble lightly with a pencil on the top page of a notepad to reveal the note that had been written on the page above it.

Idea 18: Place a computer or tablet in the room that takes players to a room-specific website you've created. Place clues in the website text and images.

Idea 19: Write a message on something tiny and require players to use a microscope to read it.

Idea 20: Place instructions somewhere in the room, but rip off the bottom section, so the instructions are incomplete. Hide the bottom section as a charred piece of paper that falls from the chimney if players open the flue in the fireplace (as if someone tried to burn the paper, and it flew up into the chimney before it was completely destroyed).

Locking Things Up

A lot of exit games use locks as a prop and puzzle. Be careful not to rely too heavily on this puzzle type, or your customers will get bored. A few locks here and there, though, can be nice satisfying wins that don't require too much effort to figure out.

Combination Locks

Here are some ways to provide lock combinations.

Idea 21: Use a book series (the kind that has numbers on the spines) and draw a diagonal line across the bottoms of the books. Players must stack the books so the line is straight, then use the numbers on the spines as a combination.

Idea 22: Write a combination in invisible ink on the bottom of the box containing the lock.

Idea 23: Write a combination on the inside of a lamp shade.

Idea 24: Provide the combination in a Chinese takeout menu with certain meal numbers circled.

Idea 25: Provide solved number puzzles with incorrect answers; require players to recognize which answers are wrong and use those numbers as a combination.

Keypad Locks

There are generally two steps to solving a keypad lock. First players must figure out which buttons are part of the code. Second they must figure out the order in which to push those buttons.

You can place a datebook with a significant year or other clue elsewhere in the room to give them the right order.

Idea 26: If players blow powder on a button keypad, the powder will stick to the buttons that have the most oil on them.

Idea 27: A button keypad with some of the number labels worn off will also show players which buttons are used most frequently.

Finding, Unlocking, and Opening Doors

Many escape rooms are really made up of several connected rooms, giving game designers opportunities to challenge players with secret or locked doors.

Secret Doors

Idea 28: Create a hidden door that is only visible by the light from the next room seeping through the cracks around its edges. Players cannot find it unless they turn off the lights.

Idea 29: Create a hidden door that can be found if players feel a draft coming through the cracks around its edges; this may require holding up a lit match or lighter to see where the flame wavers.

Idea 30: Create a hidden bookcase door that requires pulling the right book or a nearby wall sconce to open it.

Idea 31: Make the back panel of a closet a door that opens when another task is completed in the room; players must return to the closet to realize it has opened.

Idea 32: Hide a secret door in the back of a fireplace. Players must crawl through the fireplace to go through it.

Locked Doors

Idea 33: Hide a key in a drain. Players must use a magnet attached to a piece of wire to retrieve it.

Idea 34: To make Item 33 more challenging, require players to remove a painting's hanging wire to retrieve the key.

Idea 35: If you have a prison cell or enclosure with bars players can reach through, require players to reach through and unlock the door backwards using a mirror.

Idea 36: Create a door without a visible lock that only opens if players use the right knock pattern.

Idea 37: Or, similar to Item 36, program a desk drawer to remain locked until players knock on the right spot on the desk surface.

Idea 38: Create a door that pops open if a certain action is performed elsewhere in the room but latches again if players don't access it immediately. One player must perform the task that opens the door, and another must rush through it or find a way to keep it open.

Idea 39: Create a room with various types of tiles on the floor and a locked door on the other side. If players simply walk across the room, nothing happens. Players must get from one side of the room to the other without stepping on certain tiles or stepping only on the correct sequence of tiles to unlock the door.

Idea 40: Give players a locked door with a key in the keyhole - but on the other side. In order to get the key and unlock the door, players must slide something flat, like a piece of paper or a mat, under the door so it sits below the doorknob. Then they must poke something into their side of the keyhole to push the key out, so it lands on the flat object. They can then retrieve the key by carefully pulling the flat object back to their side of the door. [Note: With a puzzle like this, you must have a backup solution prepared in case the players push the key out without something there to catch it. Unlike a video game, where players can recognize that they missed a step and go back to try again, in real life, once the key is on the floor in the next room, the first solution will never be possible again.]

Activities

Not all challenges should involve decoding or unlocking things. Sometimes players enjoy performing unusual tasks or activities that require multiple steps to accomplish an overall objective.

Idea 41: Players must repair an electronic device by correctly configuring dip switches.

Idea 42: Players in an art gallery must replicate the poses of statues.

Idea 43: Similar to Idea 42, players must adjust statue poses (move their arms, legs, and heads) to match images they're provided.

Idea 44: Players must swap out an object with something of equal weight.

Idea 45: Players must figure out how to turn an old, beat up radio on (they may need to "repair" it first) and tune it to the right frequency to hear auditory clues.

Idea 46: Players must build a musical instrument out of objects found in the room and use it to play a specific melody.

Idea 47: Players must use a litmus test to analyze a solution. [Note: Some players may not know what a litmus test is. Make sure you include an explanation and instructions somewhere in the room.]

Idea 48: Players must reach behind the top drawer of a desk or file cabinet to retrieve items in locked drawer below it.

Idea 49: Players must wind a grandfather clock. [Note: Many people today may not know how to wind grandfather clock, so you might need to hide instructions elsewhere in the room.]

Idea 50: Straight out of LOST: Give players a computer keyboard and require them to type a series of numbers in at regular intervals to avoid catastrophe.

Idea 51: Players must program a robot to perform a task they cannot do themselves.

Idea 52: Provide an 8mm or 16mm film projector and a reel of film; players must use the projector to watch the film. [Note: Many players may not know how to thread film through a projector. Make sure you include instructions somewhere in the room.]

Idea 53: To make Idea 49 more challenging, give players a reel of film that's missing a critical section. Hide the section elsewhere and require players to splice the missing piece into the film to watch the whole thing.

Idea 54: A player in one room must carry out a task by following directions provided by a second player watching from another room on a monitor.

Idea 55: Supply players with a flashlight that has no batteries. Elsewhere supply them with a clock or other object that uses the same type of batteries. Players must recognize that they need to remove the batteries from one object and use them in the other.

Idea 56: Use a cryptic code to provide the correct on-off configuration for circuit breakers in a breaker box.

Idea 57: Place a dispenser (such as a cigarette, soda, or snack machine) in the room that contains something players need (for example, a bottle of water to use in another puzzle). Players must find a coin or slug to access the object. Alternately, players must find another way to access the object. [Note: Make sure the machine is bolted to the floor to prevent players from accidentally pulling it over on themselves while trying to get the object out.]

Idea 58: Give players a brief glimpse of a scattered set of objects or a picture with multiple items in it. Require players to remember as many of the items as they can later in the game, [Note: Make sure you provide a clue that lets players know their memories will be tested later or allow them a second chance to view the items.]

Idea 59: Send players into the future with a time travel device and require them to figure out how to set it to return to the current time.

Idea 60: Send players into the future with a time travel machine and require them to figure out how to repair it using tools that have not yet been invented.

Set Decoration? Or Puzzle?

If you're doing a good job of creating a thoroughly immersive environment, your escape room will contain some furnishings and props that are there solely for aesthetic purposes. Figuring out what's useful and what's just part of the set decoration is part of the fun.

Mirrors and Paintings

Idea 61: A mirror that turns into a painting that reveals a clue if players read an incantation or repeat "Bloody Mary" in front of it.

Idea 62: A mirror in which players can see "ghosts" standing or moving around behind them in the room. The ghosts' activities can provide clues regarding where things are hidden or how to operate machinery.

Idea 63: A painting in which the subjects move when players aren't looking. Subjects may point or turn their heads to provide clues. [Note: In a historic room where you don't want to use a computer monitor or walkie talkies as a hint system, this could be your solution.]

Idea 64: A painting in which the subjects advance closer to the frame when players get closer to the right answer and move farther away when players get 'colder.'

Idea 65: A painting or an old photograph showing the room players are in with a different furniture configuration; activate a switch if players rearrange the furniture to match the picture.

Idea 66: To make Idea 66 more challenging, make one of the pieces of furniture broken or missing, requiring players to find a substitute to place in that spot.

Idea 67: A mirror that players can reach through or step through into "opposite world." Players must use teamwork between the two rooms to accomplish a task.

Idea 68: Activate a switch when players straighten a crooked painting.

Idea 69: Require players to slide a painting sideways to find something behind it.

Flooring

Idea 70: Make a clue part of the design on the floor or carpet, so it can only be read if players climb on a ladder or otherwise view it from a high vantage point.

Idea 71: Create an "X marks the spot" puzzle in which players can only see the answer they're looking for if they stand directly on an X.

Idea 72: Create a room in which the floor is a sliding tile puzzle. Players must first figure out how to move the tiles, then solve the puzzle.

Idea 73: Create a room that is a lifesize version of a board game board. Players must act appropriately as pieces on the game board to reach the "end space," i.e, the other side of the room.

Changing Environment

While a single room filled with puzzles can be fun, opportunities to move through a larger environment or anticipate changes to the environment (whether real or fictional) can significantly increase the fun of exploration, as well as the sense of urgency.

Idea 74: Put players in a room that gets colder or warmer over time. Players must figure out how to stabilize the temperature.

Idea 75: Shut the lights in the room off and then on again. Change something in the room every time the lights are off. Players must recognize what has changed.

Idea 76: Inform players that they have a limited amount of air. Require them to make it into another room within a certain amount of time (depending on the complexity of the puzzles in the first room, this could be anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes) or they forfeit the game.

Idea 77: Supply players with a lantern that's almost out of oil or a flashlight with dying batteries. Require them to make it into another room before they run out of light. [Note: If they do run out of light, you have the option of forcing them to forfeit the game or allowing them to continue to play in the dark, perhaps with a sliver of light seeping in through a "window." Or you can tell them they've been eaten by a grue.]

Idea 78: Lock each player in a separate room with its own set of puzzles. Once players escape from their private rooms, they must all work together to escape the central room. [Note: A game like this can allow for repeat visits, since each individual room has a unique set of puzzles.]

Idea 79: Put players in a room that gets smaller over time (for example, the walls gradually move in or the ceiling slowly lowers). Players must figure out how to either stop the room from contracting or escape before they're "crushed."

Interaction With the Outside World

As escape rooms begin to blur the line between games and interactive theater, many escape room operators are creating ways for players to interact with non-player characters or gain an awareness of the fictional world outside the room(s) they're in.

Idea 80: Make the first puzzle the players must solve figuring out how to ask for hints. Players must successfully interact with the game master to complete the task.

Idea 81: Give players a two-way radio to communicate with a commander or extraction team. They must figure out the right password in order to get a useful response.

Idea 82: Use the sound of thunder outside the room to indicate the right time to perform a task. For example, players may need to perform a loud action that they don't want the guards outside the room to hear.

Idea 83: Provide an extremely quiet audible clue that can only be heard in complete silence; players must stop talking and listen carefully to hear it.

Idea 84: To make Idea 83 more challenging, fill the room with a loud noise, such as water rushing over a dam or a constantly bleating alarm. Require players to figure out how to shut off the noise (open the dam, shut off the alarm, etc.).

Idea 85: Provide clues through snatches of sound coming through the static from a radio or television.

Idea 86: Require players to figure out how to access and watch digital "captain's logs" or a "distress signal" from a spaceship or space station.

Idea 87: Let players know there is another prisoner in the next room. Have the prisoner send them messages using tap code. [Note: Many players will be unfamiliar with this code. Make sure you provide a key to deciphering the messages and let them hear any critical messages enough times to solve the puzzle.]

Idea 88: To make Idea 87 more challenging, require players to respond using tap code.

Idea 89: Include a pet door and allow players to hear a cat or dog "outside." If players push a bowl of cat or dog food through the pet door and wait, they'll find that the food is gone and in its place is a collar with a note attached when they retrieve the bowl later.

Idea 90: Send players a coded message, then require them to code a response and send it back. Later in the game, their success at this task may impact their success with another puzzle (e.g., the later puzzle is much harder - but not impossible - if they failed to correctly send their message early in the game).

Idea 91: Include key pieces of information in conversations carried on by actors (or a recording of actors) on the other side of a door or wall.

Idea 92: Alert players to an impending explosion or attack. Require them to protect themselves when the time comes by building a protective barrier to block fire or debris or finding a secure hiding place.

Idea 93: Set up a task that requires players to use a lot of electricity. Use the sound of a thunderstorm "outside" to alert them to the presence of lightning and require them to enable a lightning rod to access the power.

Idea 94: Use the smell of cigarette smoke to alert players to an approaching guard or other non-player character.

Idea 95: Create "windows" that show players what's going on outside the room or building; require them to use this information to track progress or solve puzzles within the room. For example, if a zombie apocalypse is underway, allowing players to witness how the zombie's behavior is changing over time may provide clues to a puzzle. [Note: Even if the things players can see outside don't help them solve puzzles, it can add to the immersive quality of the room. For example, being aware of the increasing numbers of zombies outside the "window" can add a sense of urgency.]

Getting Players Out of Their Comfort Zones

Depending on your escape room theme, players may be prepared to get a little dirty or do things they wouldn't ordinarily do. Just make sure your room descriptions and marketing materials alert customers up front that your room contains scary or uncomfortable elements.

Idea 96: Require players to reach into a tub or sink basin filled with disgusting water to retrieve a key or clue.

Idea 97: Require players to use a container to retrieve filthy water from a tub or sink basin and use it to solve another puzzle (such as causing a key to float to the top of a tube that's too small to reach into).

Idea 98: Create a room that can only be accessed by climbing into a large drawer and being pushed through the wall by the other players.

Idea 99: Require players to reach through cobwebs, bugs, or something slimy to get a key or a clue.

Idea 100: Give players an object they need to complete a task in another room, but make it impossible to carry it through the door (for example, the door could lock every time they approach it with the object in their hands). Players must find an alternate way to move the object to the other room, such as crawling through a narrow vent or a filthy crawlspace under the floor.

There you go! Our list of 100 more puzzle ideas for your next escape room.

We hope these ideas brought your imagination to life and gave you the spark you needed to create a thrilling and challenging exit game to delight your customers.

Special thanks to the following people and organizations for providing the inspiration for the puzzles in this list.

The brilliant minds at Infocom

Numerous cinema and TV screenwriters
Escape Room Adventures WNY
Mike Charal

John Costello

Joel Dähler
Wesley Gunn
Danielle Leigh Jenkins

Erich Kroeger

Harry W. Kroeger Jr.

Elijah Wade Lawrence

Marcelo Santiago Morales

Sheeny P

Sophie Palmer

Rachel Simpson

If you haven't read it already, check out our first blog of puzzle ideas, 101 Best Escape Room Puzzles.

If you're just getting started and thinking about opening your own escape room, check out How to Open Your Own Escape Room: A Simple 22-Step Guide.

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You need puzzles that will challenge your customers, but which will also be fun and just the right amount of difficult to make them enjoy solving them without getting angry or frustrated. The puzzle ideas in Nowescape's blog, 101 Best Escape Room Puzzle Ideas, helped you get started.

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Scavenger Hunt Clues Using Pictures

A. Take a picture of the location of a hidden clue. Give a young child a photograph of the mailbox their next clue is hidden in or, as in the sample below, a picture of an entire clock. For a teen or adult hunt try photographing a small portion of a hidden clue's location to increase the difficulty (eg. If the next clue is hidden behind a clock in the livingroom, photograph a portion of the clock or even just one of the numbers on the clock).

Use this idea in a hunt that moves from clue to clue or create a list of pictures whose locations need to be found within a certain time period.

B. Cut up the picture of a hidden location into 3-4 pieces for a young child, 8-10 for older children, or 12-20 pieces for teens and adults. Put the pieces in an envelope or scatter them in a designated area. Players have to assemble the pieces to find the location of their next clue.

You can photograph the location yourself or use any graphic that depicts the hiding location (eg. a picture of a fridge can be drawn, photographed, clipped from a magazine, or found online). Before cutting up the picture, be sure to write the location of the next clue on the back or front of that picture.

Scavenger Hunt Clues Using Puzzles

A. Rebus puzzles are a fun way to create scavenger hunt clues. For example, a picture of an apple minus the picture of an ape plus a picture of an ant equals a hidden clue location in or around a plant (Apple - ape = PL + ant = PLANT).
Rebus clues can be made as difficult or as easy as you wish. Especially for children, it is a good idea to leave dashes below the puzzle indicating the length of the word the clue is pointing to. A fun variation is to create a rebus rhyme clue. A sample clue would be... "Your next clue is hidden in an area that rhymes with,,," followed by a picture of a hat, a cup of tea, and the letter "O". Hat-tea-O rhymes with PATIO, meaning the next clues is hidden on the patio somewhere.

B. Writing secret codes is another way to generate clues. Using numbers in place of letters is an easy way to create the code (eg. 1=a, 2=b, 3=c, etc.), but using pictures or symbols can add a little something special. Using the number code 2-1-20-8-18-15-15-13 = BATHROOM, so once deciphered, hunters would know to look for their next clue in the bathroom.

For children, it's best to include the code needed to decipher the clue along with the clue. For adults, it's fun to sometimes the leave the code out, provided the clue is long enough to form a pattern that makes it possible to deduce the code.

A variation for an adult clue would be to use the numbers on a telephone. Since each number coincides with three different letters, the code becomes more challenging. The code clue for COMPUTER using a telephone would be 2-6-6-7-8-8-3-7. Be sure to note on the clue that hunters will need to use a telephone to decipher the clue.

C. Wordsearch clues involve making a small word search puzzle. These are easy to design on graph paper. If you are creating a clue for stove, write the letters for the word stove in succession in your squares. If making a clue for a child create a word search 5 by 5. STOVE will fill 5 of the squares, leaving 20 squares.

Fill the other squares with the letters of a word that shares no letters in common with STOVE (eg. RUG). In this case all extra squares would be filled in random order with R's, U's and G's. The clue would read... "Cross off all of the letters found in the word RUG. The remaining letters will spell the location of your next clue." See sample below for a 6 by 6 wordsearch clue for FENCE.

For a teen or adult clue you may want to use a harder hiding location and create a larger box. You may also want to scramble the letters for the clue within the puzzle rather than entering them in succession.

Scavenger Hunt Clues Using Rhymes

Not everyone can write a rhyme clue quickly or easily, but having a look through some Dr. Seuss or nursery rhyme books can inspire you and give you the feel for writing a rhyme clue. If you still find it hard, try and use part of a nursery rhyme to start your clue. For example, "One, two, buckle my shoe" might inspire you to write a clue like... "One, two, find my shoe. My yellow sneaker holds a clue." If you're great at writing rhymes, the sky's the limit.

Scavenger Hunt Clues Using Letters

A. Add extra letters to camoflage a hidden clue location. For a child you may take a hiding location like GARAGE and add all kinds of X's to hide the word GARAGE (eg. XXXGXXAXRXXXAXGXXXEEEEE). The clue would read.... "Cross off all of the X's and circle the remaining letters to find the location of your next clue."

For teens or adults you may want to scramble the letters if using this same clue. A variation of this idea for teen and adults would be to write a sentence with the clue location hidden in an unexpected sequence of letters. For example SOFA could be hidden without the underlining in a sentence like... "The leave s of a n oak tree are green." The clue would read something like... "Your next clue location is hidden in the following sentence. The letters are written side by side and sequentially, but may involve more than one word in the sentence."

B. Write a clue location with dashes in the place of every vowel. For a child that might be D _ S H W _ S H _ R for dishwasher. For a teen or adult the whole clue could be written with no vowels. For example, Y_ _R N_XT CL_ _ _S H_DD_N _N _ SM_LL BL_ _ B_ _K _N TH_ L_BR_RY would be "Your next clue is hidden in a small blue book in the library.

C. Write a clue backwards and instruct children to hold it up in a mirror in order to read it. For teens and adults a much longer clue with tiny letters make this clue more challenging. Also, throwing in extra words or weaving two sentences together can help make this type of clue harder.

Scavenger Hunt Clues Using Trivia and General Knowledge

A. Create an anagram puzzle by giving definitions of various words that, when entered correctly in the list, will spell a hiding location by reading the first letter of each word top to bottom. You may also stagger the words, provided you somehow highlight the line down where the clue location can be read once the puzzle is completed.

b. Create a trivia clue by asking a question and having several answers available, some right and some wrong. Each answer is typed on a separate piece of paper with the scrambled letters of the next hiding location written beside the correct answers and spoiler (wrong) letters written beside the false answers.

The clue for CLOSET would be written something like this... "There are 10 movie titles included with these instructions. Each movie title has a large single letter to the far right of it. Brad Pitt acted in 6 of the 10 movies. He did not act in the others. Decide which ones he acted in and unscramble the letters to the right hand side of each to discover the location of your next clue."

Be sure to include the answers on separate cards or slips of paper with one letter beside each. Since the clue in this example is for CLOSET, no letters found in the word closet were used next to the incorrect answers. It is up to the hunters to determine which answers are correct and unscramble the letters beside the correct answers to find the location of their next clue.

Scavenger Hunt Clues and Riddles

Scavenger Hunt Riddles
7,500 Clues Using Household Items
Create Unforgettable Party Games
with this Treasure Hunt Riddle Creator

About This Article:

NOTE: I originally wrote and posted the above article on Google Knol on June 23, 2008. Google Knol closed on October 2012 and thus, I have moved the article here. Below these stats are comments the article received while hosted at Google Knol. ~ Wendy Legendre

Google Knol Stats / 12-29-2011

Who'd Have Thought

Thanks for writing on something that I didn't give much thought to. No wonder my scavenger hunts ended in disaster!

da47ve - Feb 19, 2011 6:08 PM

In that case, I'm guessing that when you sent the love of your life off on a scavenger hunt to meet you at a surprise romantic location... she never found you?
Maybe next Valentine's Day you can start with a clue written on the bathroom mirror, that leads to a lace nightie with a clue attached hiding inside her pillow, that leads to a suitcase already packed with a clue attached, that leads to a location where a limo is waiting to whisk her away for a romantic evening, that leads to... well I'll let you decide that. Just be sure the clues lead her to the right places.

Wendy Legendre - Jul 25, 2008 1:53 PM

Awesome Ideas!

I will definitely use these ideas in our homeschool. I can hardly wait to plan a scavenger hunt for my children!

Carletta Sanders - Jul 25, 2008 4:00 PM

Thanks Carletta! If you're looking to incorporate scavenger hunts into your educational program, I have some fun library hunts and school hunts in my archives. I'll see if I can pull a few of the clue ideas up and add them to this page.
Wendy Legendre - Jul 25, 2008 4:00 PM

Nice idea!

Scavenger hunts will keep kids occupied as they are fun!

I blogged on your knol at Knol Today - http://www.knoltoday.com/entertainment/2008/09/22/scavenger-hunts-games-for-all-ages-and-events/

Thanks for the ideas!

Ivan Widjaya - Sep 21, 2008 10:30 PM

It made me want to have a treasure hunt

It sounds like fun. I'll organize one for my relatives.

Rachel Leidemann - Nov 12, 2008 12:10 PM

Great Ideas!

I always make scavenger hunts for my kids for their Christmas presents. They look forward to it every year. I'm running out of ideas and these are some great ones that I'm going to incorporate in their hunt this year. Thanks!

Anonymous - Dec 10, 2008 1:14 PM

Terrific Ideas for Pirate Parties

I always loved scavenger hunts, even as a teen. The clues were the best part! A scavenger hunt as part of a pirate theme party would just be over the top fun, matey!

Lee Hansen - Mar 16, 2009 5:33 AM

Indeed! I've actually hosted some pretty fun pirate hunts, including some challenging ones for teens and adults. I LOVE pirate parties too, even more so since the Pirates of the Caribbean movies made their debut.
Wendy legendre - Mar 16, 2009 5:33 AM

Wow so many ideas!

My daughter makes me hide Easter eggs around the house for her to find - over and over and over... I didn't know there were so many ideas - I'll have to set up something other than "hide the item" games now. Can't wait to give some of these ideas a go. Thanks for sharing - off to your website to see what other good ideas I can use...

Leah Lovelock - Dec 23, 2009 4:13 AM

Small Mistake

This is a very helpful article, but it came to my attention that your last example is incorrect. Brad Pitt was in Interview with a Vampire, but there is no 'D' in the word 'CLOSET'. I thought you might like to know.

Nash - Apr 14, 2011 8:13 AM

Cool article!

Will probably use your ideas one day. Great job!

Thomas Sucler - Aug 6, 2010 4:21 PM

Great article Wendy

I don't know where you get the energy or the ideas for this stuff. Keep it up and lets see more of the same.

Bill Bradley - Feb 19, 2011 12:58 PM

A great help!

I have been working on my very own 27th Birthday Scavenger hunt for the last few weeks. (I will have my guests running around town solving clues, completing challenges, and documenting the whole thing by using cameras.)

Out of all the sites I was able to find with ideas, I am happy to say that you have done the best job at showing me creative ways in writing my own clues!

Thank you very much!!

Anonymous - Feb 19, 2011 6:06 PM

So excited!

This was a great amount of help! I do plan on buying one of the books, but for now I will take the ideas that were given, which was wonderful (the party is this weekend). I have 3 children and I love to do theme parties. You will hear from me again.

Anonymous - Apr 14, 2011 8:11 AM

Nice idea!

Thanks for your nice ideas about how to write fun and challenging scavenger hunt clues... actually scavenger hunt games for kids to play at parties. That game allows our guests to have more fun. I really appreciate this game...

Waseem Sajjad - May 3, 2011 5:11 AM

Whew!

Thank you! I'm making a scavenger hunt as part of a high school theater's pirate themed senior banquet activities and I was terrified that I'd have to come up with a riddle for every clue. I'm not good when it comes to solving or creating riddles. So, these ideas are life savers. Mixing different types of clues will make the hunt a lot more fun and challenging. And I love that you gave ideas in each section for both kids and teens/adults. Thanks so much.

Anonymous - May 20, 2011 1:10 PM

I'm glad you found the ideas helpful. I'm not sure when your banquet is, but I did a pirate themed clue scavenger hunt for older teens a while back... mostly based on the Pirates of the Caribbean, but nevertheless. Some of the ideas may help you. If your banquet is a little ways away still and you'd like some additional inspiration, feel free to contact me. It may take me a few days to get back to you due to my schedule.
Wendy Legendre - May 17, 2011 2:23 PM

Just saw your reply. I would have loved to see your other ideas, but the banquet is tomorrow. Most of my pirate stuff was also related to the Pirates of the Caribbean. The banquet is being held in the theater (on the stage) so some of the clues were based on theater things like Shakespeare. I'd never done anything like this and I was asked with only a few days to do it. Putting a scavenger hunt together is a lot harder than it seems, but, I have to say, all that work really challenged my logic and creativity and that was pretty fun. I was constantly referring to this article whenever my brain began to swim, it really helped to anchor me, stirred my imagination, and gave me focus. Thank you so much for posting. And thanks for the offer of extra help. I really appreciate that kindness.

Anonymous - May 19, 2011 8:17 PM

Congrats! I'm sure your event is going to be fabulous and you'll create a lasting memory for those students. Hope you'll brag about it here afterwards. I know I'd love to hear all of the details and what the reaction of the students was. I'm guessing others would too.
Wendy Legendre - May 20, 2011 1:10 PM

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Scavenger Hunt Clues - How to Write Scavenger Hunts

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A. Take a picture of the location of a hidden clue. Give a young child a photograph of the mailbox their next clue is hidden in or, as in the sample below, a picture of an entire clock. For a teen or adult hunt try photographing a small portion of a hidden clue's location to increase the difficulty (eg.

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The British used one type of secret writing that appears to have been unknown to the Americans. Sir Henry Clinton composed letters that were meant to be read through a mask or grille, a technique known as the Cardan system. (The technique is named after Geronimo Cardano, one of the most famous code-makers in the sixteenth century.)

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The first step into making the hollow book is to select a book. Make sure this is a book your own, and not one belonging to the library, or ...

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Making a book safe is one of those projects that I've long had on my to-do list, but put off. How fun would it be to secret away something special and hide it in plain site in a book? In the end, it was simple and somewhat meditative. I can't wait to make another one.

Make a DIY Book Safe

All you need to get started is:

a book you no longer want to read

a ruler

a craft knife

Modge Podge (or watered down white glue) and brush

a Dremel or rotary tool (optional)

fabric scraps (optional)

Measure Once, Cut 300 Times

I chose a big, fat old dictionary for my safe, but such a thick book is not necessary. Open the book and flip past 5- 50 pages, depending on the depth of your book. Hold those pages to the left and brush the Modge Podge on the edges of the remaining pages that are on the right. Remember to only brush the edges. Close the book and leave it a few hours or overnight. You may wish to weight it down to help the book keeps its original form.

Figure out what size storage space you'd like. I didn't know what I'd keep in the book and arbitrarily decided on my margins. I must have eyeballed it because they're not even. Or should I say, unbalanced, like me. I suggest a minimum margin of .5 inches all around. Whether you measure or just estimate, you'll want to use the straight edge to mark those first cuts that will outline the area you plan to carve out.

And then you cut.

And cut.

And cut.

Save the pages you cut out. They'll come in handy for other maker project. Dictionary shoes, anyone? (Post coming soon.)

When you've reached the depth you want stop cutting and get out your Dremel. Use the rotary tool to smooth the sides of the cavity.

When you're happy with the size and look of storage area, you can seal it with Modge Podge or even embellish the space with fabric scraps to make it look fancy. Smooth black velvet would make a lovely background for your diamonds and gold, no?

Never Forget

I made this several weeks ago, but neglected to take a photo of the finished book safe, so I grabbed it off of a shelf and you could have knocked me over with a feather when I saw our passports inside. I had no idea they were in there and I suspect no one else from my family did either. I immediately had a vision of us frantically scouring the house for them just days before we need them for a vacation next year. Oh, the arguments! The accusations! The moral of the book safe story is that if you use it to store something really important be sure to make a mental (or written) note and inform your spouse.
This is a fun project for the entire family. If you make one, show me a picture of your finished product by tagging TheMakerMom on Facebook or @KimMoldofsky on Instagram!
Other uses for old books:

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Create a drivers license, as used in the state of New York

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Make a newspaper clipping with your own headline and story. Surprise friends and colleagues, send a birthday greeting or give your next blog post a special look.

To download your newspaper, use the link at the bottom of the generated image. You can use the images as you wish ie. put them on your own website or blog. Please note, that direct linking to the newspaper clippings doesn't work; the images are deleted from the server after a short time span.

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Make a newspaper clipping with your own headline and story. Surprise friends and colleagues, send a birthday greeting or give your next blog post a special look.

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The best way to see what AddLetters can do is try out one of our picture or sign generators! Here are the most popular pictures... customize with your own text and have fun creating realistic looking images with fake messages on them!

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Ciphers are a secret or disguised way of writing. Ciphers and codes have been around a very long time and have seen endless variations and iterations in order to confuse those who aren’t meant to read its contents. In recent times we use computers to come up with complex algorithms in order to encod…

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Library Escape Rooms are really big right now, so I tried to design this program so that any library can try to duplicate it. Because making something like this is kinda daunting-where do you even start? From what I've read, starting at the end is the best way to do it.

UPDATE: Holy cats! I never thought that so many people would read this blog!! THANKS!! As always, fell free to use parts on the entirety of the plan, but please link to me if you write about it. And send me photos!! I loved seeing how libraries are interpreting my design, like this one. And please make sure to visit the rest of my site, and be sure to come back because I'll be planning an EVEN better Escape Room that you can totally steal 🙂

I didn't want to my kids to actually "break out" of our room; I thought that would end badly. So I thought that the end would be unlocking a suitcase that had candy bars.

So then I had to figure out where to put the key to unlock the suitcase. So I got an idea from a library call number scavenger hunt. I hid the key in a hollowed out book. These are easy enough to make, and there's probably a million pins about it already on the Pinned-Interest.

Next, I made a fake call number for the book and stuck it out in the stacks in our nonfiction section. The call number was "J 793.735 DOY." 793.735 is the Dewey call number for "riddles." Pretty cool, right?

So the final puzzle was actually NOT in the escape room, but I made sure to tell kids that the key to the suitcase was hidden somewhere in the library, and they had to solve the puzzles to find out where.

Still working backwards, I figured that now that each puzzle that was solved would now unlock a part of the call number. Miss Gloria thought it would be a good idea to do only three puzzles, so I broke the call number into three chunks for the three different puzzles we would have. Each chuck is color-coded, and matches the color on the sign where that number would go in the call number. This was to try to make it easier on the kids.

Going off of the book idea, I figured our room's theme would be "Crazy Librarian's Office." That way, we don't have to go out and buy a bunch of props, we can just use what we have lying around. So we brought up an extra desk and furniture from the basement, and dressed it all with office supplies and junk to make it look busy. Then we just hid all of our clues.

I decided that the office belonged to Miss Petra. She's an old and mean librarian-and of course she loves cats. Because she kinda has to, right?

Still working backwards, Miss Gloria and I came up with the three puzzles that would unlock the three chunks of the call number. I mapped out the plan like this; the end is at the top:

Miss Gloria wanted to do one that number related and one that was word related, so we came up with using different kind of locks for different puzzles.
Puzzle 1
The "79" of the call number was locked in a box with a number combination. The combination would be the numbers of a broken clock-from what I've heard this is used a lot but your kids won't know that.

To know that, we would have the kids use a UV light to search the room. If they looked at the portrait of Miss Petra on the wall, they would see "Time is the Key = Clock" written in invisible ink around the frame. We hid the UV light in a desk drawer with a clue attached to it that said "Use me to see in the DARK" so kids knew that it was important.
Puzzle 2
The "3.7" of the call number was locked in a box with a letter combination lock. The answer was "BOOK." To figure that out, they would have to put together a puzzle that said the word "BOOK" on it. For this we got a blank puzzle, wrote on it, and then hid them around the room. It was just more stuff to find!!
Puzzle 3
The "35" of the call number was locked in a box with a padlock. The key to that was hidden under Miss Petra's chair with duct tape, so if they got this clue they could figure it out:

Goldi-LOCKS! So to get that clue, they had to open a separate box with a separate key. We hid that key in a dragon puppet, way back in the mouth so you would probably miss it if you were just searching really quick.

So in order to figure that out they had to find one of these bookmarks, which had "DRAGON" spelled out in sign language. I hid three around the room in different spots. And once they found the Sign Language Chart, they'd be all set.

If you take a look at the poster I made for the event, you'll see that I basically GAVE my kids all the clues they needed right away. WHAT?! M. Night Shyamalan moment!!

So that's it. Really low cost, the only thing we really bought was the letter lock, the LED UV flaghlight, the blank puzzle, and the invisible ink pens. Everything else we had lying around. So it's a cheap and fun program to do.
Reaction:
We did it for three different groups of kids, 30 minutes each with a 5 minute reset time. Overall it went very well for my first escape room. But I definitely found out a few things.

First off go over your rules with every group.

They're pretty self-explanatory. I found it helpful to set up a separate table (the Clue Table) by the front of the room that kids could place important items and puzzle pieces on. Overall, kids followed the rules wonderfully. But I also started talking about the rules AFTER I started my timer. That way, explaining the rules was on their time, and the faster we got through them, the more time we had.

As far as the actual game, it turned out that the puzzles were both too easy and too hard...if that makes any sense. They figured out some of the puzzles right away, like the puzzle word lock and the "DRAGON" puzzle. Super impressed by that!! The chair puzzle and the Dewey number puzzle took a lot of help. So next time, a lot more puzzles, but make them a bit easier, or maybe more clues for more difficult puzzles.

Also kids had a hard time working together. Due to the popularity, there were more kids than we planned for and our tour groups were pretty big, which makes communication harder. Mostly kids did okay working in a group, but a few kids would start working on a puzzle/clue that was already finished. So I tried to fix this by bringing everyone in for a puzzle recap. We would huddle around our "Clue Table" and talk about some of the things we found really quickly. If something was already solved, I would point to it and some of the kids would tell me what it was and what the clue pointed to, so that everyone would know it was a dead end. It was a great way to get everyone back on the same page.

And the last thing I would suggest is have a Reset Checklist. Setting back up really fast is stressful, so have a checklist of where everything important needs to go back, what you need to lock, and where the keys need to go. I thought I could just remember everything, but by the third group I was getting burned out and forgot to lock something. It turned out fine, but it's just a good way to make sure things go smoothly.

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Tween Programming-Escape Room in the Library

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Library Escape Rooms are really big right now, so I tried to design this program so that any library can try to duplicate it. Because making something like this is kinda daunting--where do you even start? From what I've read, starting at the end is the best way to do it.

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Resources For Creating Digital Breakouts: Ideas For Making Your Own Activities

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Resources For Creating Digital Breakouts: Ideas For Making Your Own Activities

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Creating Your Breakout Website & Your Digital Lock
You can likely use any website creator to make a digital breakout, but Google Sites is probably the best option and it is what I use. It's free, you have access to it if you have a Gmail account, it's straightforward and simple to use, and you'll easily be able to integrate a Google Form, which acts as the digital "lock" for the breakout.

Your Google Form can have as many "locks" in it as you'd like. A "lock" is a field where students will enter a code. The code can be numbers, letters, or some combination of both.

You can find a video tutorial about how to create a Google site here, how to embed items from Google Drive into your Google Site here, and how to create a "locked" Google Form here.

Planning Out Your Breakout
Think about the information you want to include in your breakout. What do topics do you want students to learn about? What skills would you like them to practice? Do you want them to read an article about an author's life? Do you want them to review Greek and Latin roots and their meanings? Once you have some ideas of what you want students to do, you can start to think about how you will lead students to those pieces of information and/or tasks.

In a digital breakout, you usually want to lead students to one of three places.
1. You can lead them directly to a code that will open a lock.
2. You can lead them directly to a clue that will help them figure out the code to open a lock.
3. You can lead them to another URL that will give them a clue to help them figure out the code to open a lock.
There are a few different ways to lead students to these three things.
Using Text
One way to lead students to information or a task is by using text. You can put text directly on the main page of your Google Site or create a Google Doc and link that to the main page. Be sure to make the sharing permissions of any Google Doc "View Only" so students don't accidentally edit it. You can also create a link that forces students to make a copy of the Doc which they can then edit.

You can also create fake emails, fake text message conversations, fake concert tickets or airplane tickets, fake store receipts, fake newspaper articles, or fake, signs, ransom notes, or diplomas. You can then embed an image your fake item on your Google Site.

Some ideas for manipulating text to spell out a URL, clue, or code:
1. Use capital letters
2. Use bolded text or a different color text
3. Underline certain letters
4. If it is a shorter piece of text, omit letters
5. Use the first letters of every paragraph, sentence, or line of a poem

Using Articles, Video, or Songs
Another way to lead students to information is by using resources that already exist on the internet, like articles, videos, songs, etc. Find articles, videos, or songs that relate to the topic or skill your breakout is focused on. In an article, find a key word or important number to use as a code to unlock one of the locks. In a video or song, look or listen for a key word or important number to use as a code.

Since articles, videos, and songs are all things you cannot edit, you need to include a link to these types of resources somewhere on your breakout site. You can link text or images on Google Sites. This video shows you how to embed a link in text and the process for linking an image is similar.

If you are sharing a link to a video, you may want to run it through SafeShare.TV to remove any advertisements and comments to prevent your students from being exposed to inappropriate content. You can also edit the description of the video with SafeShare.TV to include a clue or code. Just be sure that your district does not block the site.

Using Questions
You can also lead students to information by having them answer questions about information they've read, watched, or listened to or by having them answer questions that allow them to practice a skill.

Some ideas for using questions to lead to a URL, clue, or code:
1. Have a series of multiple choice questions in a Google Doc with the answers spelling out a code (i.e. ACDBA).
2. Create a letter/number code to accompany several questions. Beneath each letter of the answer, have a corresponding number. I create a table with two rows in a Google Doc with students spelling out the answer in the top row and the corresponding numbers below. You can then give a series of numbers at the bottom of the Google Doc that will spell out a word that has no question accompanying it. Students will have to use the letter/number combinations from their other answers to figure it out.
3. Create a quiz using Google Forms. Once students have correctly answered all of the questions, you can give URLS, clues, or codes in the feedback when they view their scores.

Using Visuals
You can get creative with images and other visuals to give students a URL, clue, or code. Here's a few ways to do that:

1. Hide words in a mandala or a snote.
2. Select an image to turn into a puzzle using Jigsaw Planet or using Google Drawings (here's an example)
3. Link parts of an image in Google Drawings or using ThingLink
4. Have students look for something using the street view of Google Maps

There's tons of other ideas and resources shared here on the Breakout EDU site. Good luck planning and creating your own breakout!

You can find all of my breakout resources here. I'm also happy to take requests or collaborate on creating one; just send me an email.

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The Literary Maven: Resources For Creating Digital Breakouts: Ideas For Making Your Own Activities

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Looking for a new and creative way of having your students learn a new topic or reinforce skills? Breakouts are a great way to make content more engaging and encourage cooperation among students.