The Candy Challenge: A Willy Wonka Escape Room

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You had a sneak peek here…now it’s time for the big reveal! Katie designed a totally amazing Willy Wonka escape room for kids ages 9-14. Today, we’ll be posting all the puzzles, riddles, activities, and solutions. Hang on to your sweet tooth, here we go!

Last year’s Sherlock Holmes escape room took place in the Victorian-esque classrooms of Princeton University’s East Pyne building. But we wanted a more scientific feel for Wonka, so we headed across campus to the Computer Science Library. The big ceilings, glass walls, and funky artwork were perfect.

Like last year, we ran 3 identical rooms simultaneously, every half hour, for 5 hours. The 3 classrooms we used were lined up down a long hallway, each door marked with a different color – red, green, or blue. We also had an extra classroom to serve as a “waiting room” for kids and parents.

In between the rooms were cool displays of vintage machinery and mechanisms. Like these old record players (our Muggle Studies 101 curator would be having a field day!):

Annnnnd drumroll please! This is what the escape room looked like…

As the kids entered, a game master welcomed them to Mr. Wonka’s “Inventing Room.” She explained that there were job openings at the world-famous factory, but in order to make the cut, the team had to solve the puzzles Mr. Wonka had left for them. They had 20 minutes to find the ultimate solution. Here we go…

The 7 candy balloons each had a word written on them. String the words together, and you get the sentence: “The Invention Book May Shed Some Light.”

Next, find the black light flashlight in the pocket of a lab coat hanging nearby:

Then head over to the lab table, which had a number of objects on it, including the aforementioned Invention Book:

The book was full of recipes, ideas, diagrams, and quirky thoughts (all Roald Dahl appropriate of course, Katie really did her research):

But shine the black light on the pages, and secret messages are revealed in UV ink!

Eventually, with several directional clues like “This way,” “Go Back,” “Stop,” or “Too Far!” you end up on this most curious page:

Shine the black light on it and…

The clue leads to an inflatable kiddie pool filled with giant plastic “gumballs”

Count the balls, solve the equation, and you get the three digit code for lock #1 (we provided a calculator to help them with this calculation. It can be hard to do math under pressure):

Inside the lock’s chamber is a piece of paper requiring 3 measurements: 1) The length of a gummy bear’s leg; 2) The number of red candy cane stripes; 3) The diameter of Smartie’s candy. But, of course, nothing is QUITE the right size. The gummy bear, for example, was simply enormous:

To measure things, you have to discover that the giant lollipop is actually a measuring stick (which we hinted about here, and also share instructions on how to craft one of your own)!

The jumbo candy canes for the equation are hanging next to the lab coat…

And across the room? A giant set of Smartie’s:

When we test-piloted the room, some kids said they had trouble recalling diameter. So we snuck the information on the classroom blackboard to help out:

Once you have the 3 numbers, open lock #2, which holds a key. The key opens the pink box on the lab table, which reveals a test tube. Your instructions? Smell the tube’s contents:

The tube contained McCormick banana extract. After a good sniff, teams had to vote and select the correct flavor from a rack of test tube labeled with various fruit smells:

Once the selection was made, the game master produced a tube and said “If I add this liquid to the tube you picked…and the liquid turns purple…you WIN!” Unbeknownst to the kids, the winning “banana” test tube was filled with phenolphthalein, and the game master’s tube contained sodium carbonate. Combine them to get an awesome purple color change (sorry, the only photo I have is Katie testing it in her kitchen!):

One very important thing to note…only the game master handled the tubes with the chemicals in them. When the liquid turned purple, there was much screaming, yelling and jumping up and down. Most teams took 20 minutes to finish the room. The record that day was 12 minutes.

But wait, you say! Earlier in the post, I saw chocolate cookbooks on the lab table! Yes you did. It wouldn’t be an escape room without red herrings! The vintage cookbooks (purchased on ebay) and plastic science equipment were included in the room to throw kids off. Heh heh.

We had a game master in each room, dropping hints when needed, being encouraging, keeping time, and generally keeping kids on task. Here are our 3 amazing game masters, Princeton University students Michelle Vilarino, Amy Cho, and Jasmeene Burton.

It was a total blast. Hilarious things happened, teams rallied around one another, and one of the gummy bears was dubbed “Freddy.” Below are quick hints for running the room. If you have any specific questions, or want to know where we found/ bought our items, feel free to e-mail Katie: zondlo@princeton.edu

  • Our room was designed for ages 9-14. A maximum of 6 kids participated per room.
  • Make sure participants arrive at least 10 minutes before the game begins. We were very clear in all promotional and registration material that late arrivals would not be admitted.
  • Have a waiting area for participants, and try to keep it away from the the actual escape room so no one overhears the puzzles being solved.
  • Make sure all clues are printed. Not all kids can read cursive.
  • Test everything in advance! Make sure the locks fit on the things they’re supposed to lock to!
  • Using a black light flashlight? Bring extra batteries!
  • Make sure the game masters know the game. We ran them through the room once, and we gave them cheat sheets on event day.
  • Bring cell phone chargers. Our 20 minute game timers were our cell phones. Woe to ye who runs out of battery!

Many thanks to Michelle Vilarino, Amy Cho, and Jasmeene Burton for being such awesome game masters (and way to ROCK that blue wig Jasmeene!). Big shout out to the Cotsen Critix for pilot testing the room and giving such terrific feedback. Thank you to Dr. Kathryn Wagner for the color change chemistry assistance. And Katie…woo girl. You did it again. You are amazing.

Don’t Change, Chameleon!

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don't change chameleon

By their very nature, chameleons are meant to blend it. But what happens when you can’t change the fact that you’re crazy, colorful, wild and patterned? Well, then we encourage you to just be YOU!

We read Quincy: The Chameleon Who Couldn’t Blend In by Barbara DiLorenzo (Little Bee Books, 2018). Quincy is having a hard time at chameleon school. Try as he might, he just can’t blend in. His skin only responds to what’s on his mind, not what’s in the background. Fortunately, his art teacher recognizes Quincy’s unique talent, and invites him to create a mural for the school. Sure enough, soon everyone can see…Quincy is his own, wonderful, beautiful self!

We were delighted to host author and illustrator Barbara Di Lorenzo at our library for a fabulous story time. There’s an interview with her after the project portion of the post. We also have a book giveaway contest for her fabulous picture book, Renato and the Lion!

barbara dilorenzo readsYou’ll need:

  • 1 medium box
  • 1 small box
  • 2 toilet paper tubes
  • White poster board
  • 2 jumbo pom-poms
  • 2 dot stickers
  • Chameleon decorating supplies (more on this below!)
  • Scissors, tape and glue for construction
  • Markers for decorating

plain chameleon

The chameleon is basically a small box hot glued to a medium box. The legs are 2 toilet paper tubes, cut in half, with additional poster board toes. We used jumbo pom-poms and dot stickers for eyes, and added a baking cup frill. And don’t forget the curly poster board tail! Once you’re done, it’s time to decorate…

finished chameleonWe offered patterned paper, patterned tape, stickers, color masking tape, and also brought out the Bling Bin. However, this project just works using markers or crayons too!

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But my absolute most favorite part about this project? Barbara was custom sketching on the kids’ chameleons! Among other things, she happily obliged with convertible cars, T Rexs, airplanes, and unicorns.

barbara dilorenzo story time illustrationsSpeaking of art work, another very cool thing Barbara did was to bring her original Quincy artwork and sketches to story time. She talked with the kids about the process of illustrating and publishing. At one point, she had her pencil sketches laid out on the floor in a fantastic gallery for kids to browse!

barbara dilorenzo shows artworkHere’s my favorite – a sketch that didn’t make the book. Quincy hearing a bird singing in his sleep, and the notes are trilling across his skin:

quincy illustration by barbara dilorenzoI caught up with Barbara Di Lorenzo after story time, to chat with her about her work!

 

Please tell us a little about yourself!

I like being a kind person, and I’m very easily amused. I’m not always on time, mostly because I have a 16-year-old son and an almost 2-year-old daughter – the slowest creatures on earth when leaving the house. My son is the funniest human I know, which often gets him out of trouble. My daughter has an incredible vocabulary and is already better at playing the drums than I am. She’s learning how to be funny from her older brother.

My husband is a professional chef and cooks delicious food for us. I live for my family, as well as for my creative work. When I don’t have enough time to write or draw, I get very unpleasant to be around. If I’m acting unkind, I know I need to get to my studio ASAP! I’ve won awards for my paintings, my writing, and my illustrations – but I really only feel confident about my work if I’m constantly practicing. I love to teach and show others how to practice their craft so that they too, can feel confident with their work.

Quincy is an artistic chameleon who doesn’t quite fit in with his class. How closely does this echo your experience growing up?

Oh boy. Well, this book is sort of autobiographical. I’m not a chameleon, but I know what it’s like to stand out in a way that doesn’t feel good. I didn’t look that different from my peers – it was my thoughts that made me feel different. I remember struggling to think of something “normal” to say when standing in a group. When I found my tribe of creative folks in the art room, I found the one place in the world where I didn’t have to explain myself. Or work to think of something “normal” to say. Not much has changed since I was a student. I’m a fish in water at the Arts Council of Princeton. If you bring me to a party of regular and lovely people, I get nervous and turn the deepest shade of crimson.

Tell us about your other children’s picture book, Renato and the Lion

Renato and the Lion was inspired by my son when he was 3. He believed a statue was alive, and was really scared of it. I loved the idea of a stone lion coming to life, and drew pages of characters from funny and silly, to serious and sad. It wasn’t until I learned about the period of WWII in Italy when citizens bricked over their sculptures to protect them, that the plot of the story came together.

You did extensive research for the book, can you tell us a little more about your process?

One of the most fun aspects of this book was getting permission to use the Princeton University libraries and getting help from research assistant, Peter Bae. Although the boy is not real, and the plot is fiction, the setting and the protection of art did happen. I could never fully determine if the lion had been protected – but Peter helped me to conclude that if there had been documentation of protection, it might have perished in a flood in 1966.

That left it delightfully open-ended, and my story exists in this unknown space. I also went to Italy for 10 days by myself and drew everything. I spent evenings by the lion, drawing him and listening to the music in the Piazza della Signoria. My step-grandmother had died the week prior to my trip, so I was a little sad. But I felt as if she was on the journey with me, helping me make discoveries – like the bookseller that was 7-years-old in 1944 and was able to share his experiences of the time period.

With the help of Antonia d’Ajeta, I interviewed him and learned of even more stories that could be told from this time and place. There really was so much more information I could have put into this book.

You’re a writer and an illustrator – do you ever find it difficult to balance the world of words and the world of images?

Some people sit down at their desk, sip their tea, and type out a story. They edit, get feedback from peers, and repeat until the draft is workable. At that point, they sketch illustrations. Those people are organized and lovely. My process is sketch an idea, write a few sentences, and paint a final painting. Then I usually set everything aside for another deadline.

When I return to the project, I write something that changes the main character from a monkey to a polar bear. I then sketch new sketches, get feedback, get overwhelmed, cry a little, and laugh at my own sketch jokes. At this point, when I’m really frustrated, I usually decide to just start over and tell the story that amuses me. At that point, the whole thing gushes out in a more cohesive story. When I show my agent and then possibly win the art director’s love for the book, I inevitably earn the frustration of the editor that has to wrangle the text into better shape.

Don’t do it this way. Try to be like the organized and lovely people.

You’re also a teacher, and very active in the children’s literature community. What’s your philosophy on encouraging the creative process in others?

When I was a really young student, I mistakenly believed that art was a competition. It wasn’t until my freshman year at R.I.S.D. that I figured out that the goal is to master one’s medium for one’s voice to emerge clearly. If one’s voice is clear, there is room at the table for everyone’s creativity. Many people get bogged down by comparing themselves to other artists. I certainly admire artists and writers that have a crystal clear voice. But I no longer believe that their success takes anything away from my own journey. Convincing students of this can be a challenge. But I believe it wholeheartedly, and pass the message on to all who will listen to me.

renato and the lion by barbara dilorenzo viking 2017And now it’s time for an awesome blog giveaway! We have 6 copies of Renato and the Lion (Viking, 2017) to give away, signed by Barbara! Just e-mail cotsenevents@princeton.edu with your name, and the name of your favorite piece of artwork. We’ll put all the names in a hat and draw 6 winners at random on Tuesday, February 5th. Good luck!

Sneak Peek: Willy Wonka Escape Room

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giant lollipopNow that’s a large lollipop! Tomorrow, our library is hosting an original Willy Wonka escape room, designed by the same genius (i.e. Katie) who brought you our Sherlock Holmes escape room last year. And I must say, she’s outdone herself this time.

The premise is thus: there’s a job opening in Willy Wonka’s top secret Inventing Room, but in order to make the cut, teams of 6 kids will have to solve the puzzles he’s left behind. And this isn’t your ordinary lab, of course. For one thing, the candies are unusual sizes, including this humongous lollipop, which we hope will measure up to the escape room challenge (heh heh, that’s a hint!).

We’ll have a complete breakdown of the escape room puzzles and solutions for you next Friday (and here it is!). But today, here’s how we made this giant lolly!

You’ll need:

  • 1 pool noodle
  • 1 large wooden dowel
  • Clear cellophane
  • Ribbon
  • Scissors and a box cutter for construction
  • Hot glue

This project starts with a pool noodle, which are the long, Styrofoam tubes you can find for a couple bucks in pool toys section of Target, or even at the Dollar Store during the summer months. We bought ours bulk from Oriental Trading company, because we plan to use them for another event. Our noodles were 46″ long, with a 2.5″ diameter.

pool noodlesStart by cutting a pool noodle in half. Katie used a box cutter and scissors. She found that neither tool was ideal, but the scissors worked a little better for her. Both methods, however, resulted in shredding, so definitely work over a trash can.

To create the spiral head of the lollipop, glob a bunch of hot glue on the end of a pool noodle half, then roll it inward. Keep globbing and rolling, and Katie advises LOTS of hand pressure to make sure the glue really adheres.

rolling the pop When you get to the end of the first noodle half, glue on the second half and keep rolling! Note: there will be a gap where the two halves meet, but it’s not too bad:

gap in noodleWhen the lollipop head is finished, use a box cutter and scissors to create a small hole in the bottom of the spiral (about 1.5″ deep), for the lollipop’s stick. We used 36″ wooden dowel that was .75″ in diameter. I found them at Michael’s Craft store for $1.60 a piece. Insert the stick, and glob a ton of hot glue in and around the hole to secure the stick in place. Katie’s also used color masking tape to reinforce the perimeter of the lollipop spiral.

lollipop stickFinally, use clear cellophane and a ribbon to wrap your lollipop head. Here’s our finished lollipop…the final length was a whopping 46″. I included a marker to show you the size ratio. Notice the measurement notches along the stick? Shhhh! It’s a clue!

finished lollipopAnd just in case you’re wondering, yes, it is a lot of fun to run around the office wielding giant lollipops. Definitely recommend it.