Have you ever looked at a classroom escape room and thought…
Wow! That looks so fun. But there’s no way I could EVER do that. It seems too complicated. My students wouldn’t be able to figure that out. You have to buy HOW many locks?!
Girl, same. I was skeptical at first too. I didn’t want to spend a ton of time trying to figure out the logistics, and I was wary of exposing my students to a new way of applying their math skills.
But here’s the thing.
- Escape rooms don’t have to be complicated.
- Your students CAN figure it out.
- It is cheaper than your favorite meal at Chick-fil-a.
In this blog post, I’m breaking down how to do a classroom escape room that is fun and engaging, and your students will be applying the math skills that you’ve worked so hard to teach them.
The best part?
-I’ve included a super simple, step-by-step guide (LINK) so you can set up the puzzles quickly. All of the brainpower is done for you!
-You actually get to take a backseat and let your students do all the work! You’ve taught them well; now it’s time for them to show off all they know. You will guide them through the activity if they get stuck.
-You can get all of your supplies for under $15 with the help of your good friend, The Dollar Tree. (I will even share a way to set up the escape room without using ANY locks if that’s your jam.)
So how does a classroom escape room actually work?
Your students are working to “break out” by solving 5 puzzles, all centered around a certain skill. In this example, the escape room covers measurement standards. The students are working to find gold that the leprechaun has hidden for St. Patrick’s Day.
A traditional escape game lasts 60 minutes, but if you are worried that students will be under too much pressure or won’t be successful, scrap the timer and give them as much time as you think they need! I’ve even let the students work on the escape room for 20 minutes a day, and their goal was to break out by the end of the week. You know your students best!
Will this be too hard for my students?
Absolutely not! However, a classroom escape room is meant to be a challenge where students are going to have to work hard, struggle, persevere, and learn how to overcome challenges. They might have to try multiple solutions before they find one that works, and this might be a struggle for some of your students!
As the facilitator, you can guide them and offer hints along the way, but the bulk of the brainpower should be coming from your kids. They will apply their knowledge of the content and connect it to the challenges that they see in the game. Resist the urge to give them the answer if they are getting frustrated. Cheer them on and encourage them. They can do hard things when given the chance.
What materials will I need?
- 5 Dollar store tool boxes (See them HERE)
- 5 Dollar store locks with keys (See them HERE)
- 1 set of puzzles for each team you have
THAT’S IT!! You can also get away with completing the escape game without any locks at all. Once a team has solved a puzzle correctly, you will give them the next puzzle instead of them grabbing it out of the toolbox.
Ok…I’m convinced. Tell me what I need to do!
Find a spot in your room where you will lay out all of the boxes. You could even spread them all around your room if you wanted to make it more like a scavenger hunt.
Place all of the rainbows in a central location, and tape the keys behind the combinations that are correct. There are extra rainbows included to serve as a distraction.
PRO TIP: I tape a small envelope (like this one) behind the rainbows to put the key in. This makes it super easy for students to take the key in and out quickly.
Once your students find a key, they will need to know which lockbox it corresponds to. I love to use Washi tape (colored duct tape would work too) to wrap around the key and the lock. This way they know the blue tape key goes to the blue tape lock. This just saves time so students aren’t randomly trying all of the locks to find the right one. (This takes some time the first time you set this up, but then you don’t have to do this step again!)
Put your students in teams so that they can help each other solve the puzzles. I mix my ability levels so that they can better help each other.
Print a set of puzzles for each team that you have. (If you had 3 teams, you would need 3 sets of puzzles.) You will start the game by giving everyone the first puzzle. Inside the boxes, you will have puzzles 2-5 and the “break out” sign in the last box. Inside each box, I have the sets paperclipped so students can grab their set and move on quickly.
Before starting the game, I would explain to your students that as they are solving the puzzles, they need to remember that ORDER MATTERS. They might need to arrange things from biggest to smallest, smallest to biggest, or put numbers in order. The puzzles will not be in a random sequence. Students might struggle with this at first, but I’ve found that once they open the first lock, they get a better sense of how the puzzles work.
Here is one of the puzzles included in the game. I want to walk you through exactly how a team would solve it.
In this puzzle, students are given 4 shamrocks with a word problem on them. They will need to solve each problem to get their answer. Then they will order the shamrocks from largest to smallest, and that will give them the order of the answers for the combination. The combination is 3645. They will then go to the rainbows to find that combination. Once they locate it, they will look behind the rainbow and find the key! Then they will go to that corresponding box to unlock it and grab the next puzzle. They will lock the box back up, and someone from the team will need to put the key back where they got it.
Students continue to solve puzzles until they reach that final “break out” box! I put a Congratulations letter with a little treat that goes with the theme of the escape game–for this one, I found some yummy chocolate coins.
I have this all done for you in my St. Patrick’s Day Escape room product! It includes:
- Detailed teacher instructions to be able to set up the game with ease
- Ideas on how to set the stage for your students
- Letter to read to the students from the leprechaun himself
- Directions for each lock and puzzle
- 5 challenging puzzles centered around customary measurement
- Directions for each puzzle to help students navigate what to do
- Hint cards for students to use if they get stuck
- Recording sheet for student accountability
- Congratulatory letter if your students escape in time
- Puzzles come in color and black & white versions
Here’s what one teacher who tried the St. Patrick’s Day Escape Room had to say:
“I love using escape rooms with my students! I also love when they are this easy to create and implement! Thank you!”
Listen…I know trying something new can be scary! You could always take a baby step and play it together as a whole group. This will give you a chance to talk through the different puzzles together, and students can still be working in teams and solving the problems on whiteboards or the recording sheet provided.
I remember feeling a little defeated when I was first starting out when some of my students got stuck or didn’t break out. But even when that happens, your kids are learning so many good life lessons and still working hard on that content, so don’t fret!
So what are you waiting for?! Let’s get this escape room into your classroom today!
Remember, I’m here to support you! Reply and let’s chat about your questions or concerns.
