Tag Archives: activity

The How Did It of Who Done It

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It’s official…Katie’s virtual Sherlock Holmes escape room is a smash hit! We’ve had thousands of visitors from all over the United States, including Alaska, Montana, Maine, Louisiana, Kansas, West Virginia, Kansas, Texas, South Dakota, Oregon, and Wisconsin. We’ve also had visitors from all over the globe…India, New Zealand, Canada, Germany, Nigeria, Ireland, Spain, Israel, Greece, and France!

In addition to some terrific fan mail, we’ve also received questions about how Katie put the escape room interface together. Today, we present a “how to” video, narrated by Katie, so you can craft your very own virtual escape room (and if you do, send us a link)!

READY TO WATCH THE VIDEO? YOU’LL FIND IT HERE!

A couple additional tips from Katie:

  1. Make sure the images and files you use are either original, or free use. Katie primarily used images from Wikicommons. Her image credits can be found on the last slide of the escape room.
  2. Pilot test your escape room! Katie’s son, nieces, and nephews were her very enthusiastic test team (thank you guys!). And Katie did adjust a few things based on their feedback.
  3. Troubleshoot your escape room in different browsers, and make sure to note (especially in the instructions for your participants) that the Google sites interface is difficult to use with touch screen devices.

Protecting Our Most Precious Companions

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protecting our companions

Today’s simple project is the result of a news photo I saw the other day…an exhausted-looking mother in NYC, pushing a heavily covered baby carriage. She was wearing a medical mask. Gripping tightly to her other hand was a little boy, also in a mask, toting a stuffed dog.

But the stuffed dog wasn’t wearing a mask. And my daughter has the exact same stuffed dog. Something in my heart just pulled.

So here’s how to use two common household items to make a mask for those most beloved companions. The ones your children reach to for comfort and reassurance. And hey, if you want to give Domino the Dog a quick cuddle yourself, you just go and do that.

You’ll need:

  • 1 flat bottom/basket style coffee filter
  • 2 rubber bands
  • Scissors

Apologies for the image quality…I’m shooting from my not-so-camera-ready home studio!

Stuffed animal heads, noses, and ears vary wildly, so you might have to cut the coffee filter down a bit. Same goes for the rubber bands! You can see how I shortened my rubber band below:

shorter rubber band

Flatten the coffee filter, then fold the top and bottom inwards like a burrito. The size of the folds will, of course, vary with the size of your stuffed animal’s head.

Now tightly bunch both ends of the folded coffee filter. Use scissors to snip a small hole in the bunching on each side (and aim a little ways in from the ends so the rubber bands don’t tear through). Finish by looping rubber bands through the holes.

Slide the mask over your stuffed animal’s nose and face, and the rubber bands behind its ears. Adjust as needed. Stay safe, little friend!

The Missing Tiger: A Sherlock Holmes Virtual Escape Room

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Image from Cotsen Children’s Library, Princeton University Library: A restless tiger. Natural History Made Easy. Wood engravings by George Pickering. London: D. Carvahlo, between 1830 and 1832.

The (digital) game is afoot! Today, we present a virtual escape room for kids, designed by our resident Escape Room Queen, Katie. A tiger has escaped from the London Zoo, and Holmes needs your help to find it!

Ready to begin your investigation? Click here! 

We would like to thank Sydney Krawiec from the Peters Township Public Library in McMurray, Pennsylvania for her inspiration, advice and encouragement to take on this challenge. Sydney designed an AWESOME digital Harry Potter escape room. LOVE!