Ok, it's the day before The Big Day and I've spent all day prepping and think I'm ready for tomorrow. As is the way of things, once I stared putting things together and practicing the run throughs, things broke almost instantly. I had planned on using Legos to spell out a message only to discover we don't have one of those large Lego platforms and so I couldn't build the alphabet. Plan B was to write a message using a basic cypher - the kid is only 6 after all - of letters being paired with colors and shapes. For example, A = a purple circle, B = a blue circle, etc.
Making puzzles is so hard because you already know the answer and the logic so everything makes sense to you. Trying to find that sweet spot of easy enough that the player feels smart but not so obvious that they think you think they're dumb.
I've included some new elements that I've never used before in my hunts. I made my first ever bath bomb (just baking soda, cornstarch, and water) with a key hidden inside. The kiddo will have to chuck the Orb into the Sacred Pool in order to get the key hidden within.
I'm really excited and delighted by the gems. They're plastic diamond ring shot glasses from the wedding favors section at my local Dollar Tree. So not only are they gems, but they're hollow and the tops pop open. This is so perfect for hiding and 'unlocking' a clue. I'm also really tickled by the "crystal chalice," aka a margarita glass also from the Dollar Tree.
And last but not least, I made a SUPER TINY interactive computer component. On the screen, the kiddo will see a car console radio missing a channel and requesting a 'frequency' be entered. So he'll run to the real car, find the list of saved stations and enter the radio station he finds in the car into the computer. If correct, the radio starts to play and the screen scrolls to another input box labeled 'restricted access.' All he has to do is enter the name of the song and it'll come up with the unlock code for the last gem. Such a small thing but still something I'm really proud of figuring out!
And of course there's The Vault aka the mystery box. I wrapped it using sparkly tissue paper - which was an experience - and stashed the prizes inside. I was just short of being able to bind both sides, but a few zip ties and it's good enough.