Escape games in education are all the craze these days! They are part imaginary story, part scavenger hunt, part competition, and part rigorous content review (which the students usually don’t even notice!). If you need to review science content, try an escape game! Imagine awaking from a berry-induced sleep to find yourself and a small group of friends lost in the wilderness with no map, no compass, no gear! All you have is a note with a strange code and some instructions to answer questions and follow clues through the forest to find your camp. This forest gets chilly at night so you had better complete this mission before sundown!

Escape games come in all shapes and sizes because the creator has all the freedom in the world to connect the dots from the beginning to the end of the story. I have designed a line of escape games that I call Eureka Escapes! Don’t miss the FREE download at the bottom of this post! My students have played them and I have heard testimonials from other teachers too. These games are a hit with middle schoolers! Here’s why:

#1 : Instant Engagement with a Story Line

Whether they are lost in the wilderness, drifting further into outer space, trying to escape prehistoric times, or searching for the pirate booty before ol’ peg leg gets to it, the story line will hook ’em! Once they read the prompt and are given a time frame for their mission, you’ll have to hold them back from starting on their journey to their first clue! As the game proceeds, the story line unfolds and the engagement deepens. It’s amazing what happens when you display a visual timer on the main screen– it serves as a reminder that a clock is ticking and maintains the sense of urgency throughout the class period!

Teacher feedback: “I have purchased many escape type activities for use in the classroom. This is by far the best one I have purchased. Not only is it simple set up for the teacher, but my students were able to truly get through this using the science knowledge they had. They felt great “escaping” on their own without having to get guidance all along the way”

#2 : A *Fun* Challenge

Forget the boring worksheet review of the content! These games are rigorous while being fun at the same time so you don’t even need to feel guilty about it. It’s a secret teacher trick– get them engaged and they totally forget to complain that the questions are challenging!

Teacher feedback: “Love, love, love this activity! The questions are great and the clues actually make them crack codes and think beyond just answering questions.”

Teacher feedback: “There are not enough positive words I can say about this activity! BEYOND AWESOME!!! My kiddos were HOOKED! We used this activity towards the end of our density unit as more of a practical use and application. My GT kiddos were challenged in a way they aren’t used to, my on-level provided sensibility, and my low babies and ESL could use their strongest skills to be a huge asset to their group. LOVE-LOVE-LOVE these challenges <3”

#3 : Digital Locks Provide Self-Checking of Answers and a Sense of Actually Breaking Through

My Eureka Escapes include a digital lock component to infuse some authenticity of actually breaking through a barrier! During the game, each group needs a device (laptop or tablet) that is connected to the internet. Every few game clues, the players are sent back to the online Google form where they input special codes that they’ve formed from their answers to the game’s questions. The online form responds to incorrect answers by flashing phrases like ‘Still Locked!’. If the players’ code is correct, the form unfolds to a riddle, a Caesar cipher, or another type of message that the students must decode to be led to their next clue!

This digital coding provides a self-checking mechanism because students have to use their answers to multiple questions to formulate their codes. If the digital lock doesn’t unlock, then students know that they need to go back and take a look at their answers. It also gives the players a real sense of breaking codes and moving deeper into the story and closer to the prize– the moment of escape! When a student group escapes, it’s a real accomplishment because they have actually answered all of the questions correctly!

Teacher feedback: “This resource is so well done. My Honors Physical Science students loved it. I used it for the Density Unit review. Loved the use of Google forms to enter the codes to unlock the next clue instead of actually needing locks.”

My Eureka Escape games take about 40 minutes to set up (for 5 groups), but your time will be worth it! For each of the games, I have included detailed instructions with photos to help with getting the game set up quickly. Once you have the game set up, you can bulldog-clamp the materials together to use for years to come!

If you are able to use more than one of these games throughout your curriculum, another option to quicken the set-up could be to purchase and use Velcro dots on the envelopes. Although the story lines are completely unique, all of my games are structured around using up to 4 ‘large’ (6″ x 9″) envelopes and up to 10 ‘small’ (4.75″ x 6.75″) envelopes per group of 4 students. Pop a Velcro dot on each of your envelopes and on each of the envelope labels for the games. Then, simply attach the labels that you need for the game that you’re playing! When the game is over, detach the labels and store them for the next time. The envelopes with their Velcro dots will be used again for the next game!

You can find my Eureka Escape games HERE!