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Escape Room Kit Maker for a Kids' Party

Four secret messages, one lock, and the code that you chose.

Runs in your browser

For the grown-up: what every card says, and the answers
    Age
    Story
    Paper

    Choose the code of the lock on the prize, four digits, and the kit hides one digit in each of four puzzles: a message in a letter-shift code with a letter wheel to cut out and turn, a message in pigpen shapes whose key is a separate card to find first, a number riddle, and a message written backwards for a mirror. Pick the story (pirates, space, detectives or wizards) and the age, from 5 to 13: the youngest get one number word and an easy sum, the oldest full sentences and a riddle. Type the hiding places and every card tells where the next one is. Turn the letter wheel on the stage before you print. The PDF holds seven cards, two to a page, the wheel and a sheet with every answer for the grown-up. Everything happens in your browser; there is no account.

    More for the family

    Open the Family & kids page

    The seven cards

    CardWhat it does
    The missionthe story with the birthday child’s name, read out at the start
    Secret message 1a letter-shift code, decoded with the letter wheel
    Secret message 2pigpen shapes
    The code keythe pigpen alphabet, hidden somewhere else
    Secret message 3the number riddle for the age
    Secret message 4mirror writing
    The lockfour boxes for the numbers and where the prize is

    Setting it up

    1. Choose the code, set the lock to it and lock the prize away.
    2. Type the hiding places in the order the cards are found; each card names the next one.
    3. Print, cut the cards apart and make the letter wheel.
    4. Hide the cards, keep the answer sheet in your pocket, and hand over the mission card.

    For a hunt that ends at an X there is the treasure map maker, and more for children’s parties is on the Family page.

    Questions

    How does the code work?

    Each of the four puzzles hides one number, written as a word: "THE FIRST NUMBER IS TWO", or just "TWO" for the youngest. Solved in order, the four numbers are the lock's code. Use a padlock with a 4-digit code on a box, or any lockable box; set it to the code you typed before the party.

    What are the four puzzles?

    A letter-shift code: every letter is moved a few places along the alphabet, and the letter wheel undoes it. A pigpen code: each letter is a shape from a grid, read with the key card hidden somewhere else. A number riddle: a sum for 5 to 7, a calculation for 8 to 10, a puzzle in words for 11 to 13. And mirror writing, read by holding the card to a mirror.

    How long does it take?

    Usually 30 to 45 minutes for a group of four to eight children, with the hiding places in two or three rooms. The youngest do best in small teams with a grown-up nearby; the answer sheet lets you give a hint at the right moment.

    How do I make the letter wheel?

    Print the wheel page, cut out the big and the small disc, lay the small one on the big one and push a split pin through both middles. A pencil tip through both and an eraser stuck on the back works too. Turning the small disc so A sits under the letter the card names decodes the message.

    Is anything uploaded?

    No. The cards, the wheel and the answers are made in your browser, and the code stays on your device. The form is remembered in this browser for next time.