Happy 10th Birthday to Jed and a DIY Escape Room Quarantine Party

Happy 10th Birthday to Jed and a DIY Escape Room Quarantine Party

• 4.25.2020

Dear Jed,

Happy 10th Birthday to the boy who made me a mother and changed me for the better! Words cannot express how much joy you have brought into my life.  Some of my favorite memories of you begin with your little smiling face peeking over the crib rails at me and continue through today when you showed me your latest Lego invention.  I am so proud of you, Jed.  You have many God given talents and gifts.  I hope you come to recognize them as I have.  You are naturally caring and compassionate; it helps make you a great big brother.  You have a keen sense of justice and an inventive and creative mind.  I know that with some work and dedication, you can accomplish anything you put your mind to.  Best of all, you love to tease and laugh.

I cannot believe it has been 10 years since I first cradled you in awe.  I hope you know that I still look at you that way sometimes.  I love you, Jed.  I hope your quarantined birthday becomes a special memory with a cool story to tell.

Love always,

Mom

I really hope we were able to make Jed's 10th birthday one he'll remember!  Having a birthday during a nationwide quarantine really makes it impossible to celebrate with friends.  My heart ached for him and I knew this year I needed to do something extra special.  Months ago, Jed started talking about going to an escape room as a party idea.  Well, since businesses like that are currently closed, I decided to do my best to create an "escape room" here at home!  I initially used this post as inspiration to start and then let my mind go wild as I created some of my own puzzles for the boys to solve.  One catch: I couldn't involve Bron.  I wanted him to be able to lead Jed and Levi through the puzzle solving process but I wanted him to have fun figuring it out too.  I am happy to say that my DIY escape room was a total hit!

After breakfast this morning, Bron took all three boys up into the South Hills for a couple of hours.  It gave me time here at home to bake Jed's brownie and mint cupcakes, wrap presents, and set up for the big game!

When the boys arrived home, I had a simple lunch waiting for them.

Then I announced, "I have some bad news.  Lunch was poisoned.  You have one hour to solve a series of puzzles and find the antidote."

Jed and Levi's faces fell when they heard the words, 'bad news'.  But then they excitedly perked up as they realized this was going to be a big game!  I explained that all of the locks were located in the kitchen and living area.  I also told them that they would be able to unlock the items without a key or code, but they needed to be good sports and actually open the lock in order to open the item.


HERE'S WHAT OUR ESCAPE ROOM EXPERIENCE LOOKED LIKE:

 
1. I went into my office and brought out three hats with two or three letters taped to the front of each.  The letters were printed backwards.  I was surprised when it only took Jed two or three minutes to hold up a hat in the living room mirror and see that he could read it!  Smart kid.  A few minutes later they had unscrambled the hats and read: SURF'S UP.

2. They raced to the bathroom where behind some wall decor that says Surf's Up was a piece of paper with some questions:

How many fingers do you have on one hand? (5)
The champion is always number (1)
The age of accountability/when you get baptized (8)

3. Bron had to lead the boys into figuring out that the numbers were the combination to one of the locks in the living room.  Upon opening an antique lunch box, they found the missing puzzle pieces to a puzzle laid out in the kitchen. It only took a few minutes for Jed and Levi to discover that the puzzle formed a picture of Elsa from Frozen.

4. Levi was on to the clue!  He immediately ran to the freezer.  When he didn't find anything there, he ran out into the garage to peek into my six foot freezer.  There, sitting next to a popsicle mold, was another picture of Elsa.  It didn't take long for Levi to realize that the popsicle sticks inside the frozen popsicles had letters on them!  But how to thaw them?

Bron and I laughed, completely amused as all three boys tried to eat them.  But they were too cold and hard.  That's when the blow dryer was brought out!  But that was too slow.  So they went outside to smash the popsicles on the ground as Bron quickly thawed a popsicle under warm running water in the sink.  It was hilarious.

Ultimately, they unscrambled the letters on the popsicles sticks: PIANO

5. Jed and Levi ran to the piano.  Hidden behind some music was a staff I'd created with three notes.  The notes spelled: BED

6. The kids ran to the bedroom and began throwing their bed covers back.  A key was taped to their bedframe in plain sight but neither Jed or Levi saw it.  Levi even ran his hand over it!  Bron and I were dying laughing.  Finally, they spied the key.

7. The key belonged to a lock on the oven door.  Inside the oven was a math sheet with seven math problems.  It didn't take the boys long to realize that the answers created my phone number.  I hid in my bedroom and awaited their call.  Then I read them a riddle.

"Where can you find cities, towns, shops, and streets but no people?"

"A MAP!" I heard Levi exclaim.

8. Behind the map on the wall of the toy room was hidden a piece of paper with latitude and longitude coordinates.  Bron led the boys through this one and found that the coordinates led them to St. Petersburg, Russia.

9. Levi ran out of the room to open the Russian nesting doll from off the shelf in the living room.  He was rewarded with a piece of paper.  Printed on it were 2 airplanes, 4 suns, and 8 sunglasses.  This stumped Jed and Levi for a while.

10. Finally, they tried opening the lock on the piece of luggage in the living room: 2,4,8.

Inside was another riddle:

“If a red house is made out of red bricks, and yellow house is made of yellow bricks, what is a green house made of?”

This was a bit tough for them.  I gave them a couple of hints.  Soon they were checking all the windows!  Great idea, but not quite right.  The answer was GLASS.

11.  Inside the cupboard where I keep the drinking glasses was a compass with some directions.

Begin at the back gate
Walk W 14 paces
Walk N 15 paces
Look to your left

I admit, my directions stunk, but it still worked!  Jed and Levi found a blue Easter egg with directions inside followed by a purple egg with more directions.  Finally they found the golden egg with a key inside!

12. The last key opened the last lock to our mini fire safe.  Hidden inside was my old vitamin container filled with blue jelly beans labled as ANTIDOTE.  Jed and Levi were thrilled.  However, Bron and I walked through the back door in time to see the boys struggling to open the child proof lid!  Haha.  They were freaking out.  Fortunately, the boys still had 13 minutes left on the clock.  They ate a handful of blue jelly beans and were "saved".

*****

It was such a fun and successful game!  I think I dare say I would enjoy the challenge of creating another one -- perhaps a little more complicated and non-linear.

Our escape room game was followed by presents and cake.  Jed got some Chaco sandals, clothes, a rubber kick ball, and a rocket fueled by vinegar and baking soda.  Unfortunately, it didn't really work.  But we had a good laugh anyway.

Finally, this evening I got a call from our good neighbor friends the Youngs to go out into our front yard.  Their family of six drove by in their truck with handwritten signs, honking, and waving.  They even had a gift for Jed!  We really do have some of the best of friends.  That little act of love ended Jed's birthday on a note of magic.

Happy 10th Birthday, Jed!  We love you so much and are so glad to have you as a part of our family.