I did this breakout box with students during the fall months. This particular activity is a little more complex, but students in second through fifth grades were successful at breaking in….it just took them a little longer than the CSI game. I have three separate break out kits that include two boxes each, all the different locks, and UV pens with lights (I always snag up a bunch during book fair! ) Sometimes I will lock a clue to a lock inside a smaller lock box if I want to increase the complexity.
Some tips for running multiple boxes at one time:
- I make one student in each team trade me a shoe for their UV penlight. I can’t even tell you how often these grow legs and walk away and after I have spent between $30-$40 on each kit….That is a no.
- I have also learned after replacing many, many locks that as soon as a team unlocks a lock, it gets turned into the teacher. These locks are simple enough to reset that I have had kids change the combinations (because they are oh so funny) to the locks rendering them useless.
- I have discovered that those clever little locked storage boxes- three and four digit combinations- are NOT worth buying. those locks get jammed really easily, and after resetting them a few times, they don’t always work.
- If you have ipads, there are locks you can download- Combinations and directional, and even color locks, that can add to the complexity or save you some cash.
When we do teams of students, we often use a timer, and have an overall prize for having the fastest time. If students need a clue, we usually add a minute to their time.
