Solutions Escape Room

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Videos and activities were either created or pre-screened by me.
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OPTIONAL: Have you never studied solutions, or need a quick refresher?  Watch these quick videos before diving into the escape room. 

One of these animals is guilty!

In the middle of the night, one of these animals helped to break out all the other animals from the Downtown Zoo.  What did all of these curious animals do?  They stormed into the nearby Science Centre to get their paws and claws deep into some science experiments of their own.

Solve the clues below to eliminate the suspects that are not guilty.

Clue #1

Read This

When we combine different matter together we are making a mixture.  Some mixtures are called solutions.  A solution is when one substance dissolves into another.  


Solutions cannot be easily separated and create a new substance when combined.


Anything that is not a solution is called a mixture.  A mixture can be easily separated and the substance keeps its original shape.  


Not all solutions are liquids + liquids.  Steel is a type of solution.  Soda is another solution.  The carbon dioxide is dissolved into the liquid.

Step 1: Puzzle

Click the green flag to solve start the puzzle.  If having trouble loading click the pink button at the bottom to open it in a new window.

Step 2: Find the Suspect

The animals that made mixtures are not guilty and are set free.


Step 3: Write it Down

Write down the animal that is still the suspect on a sheet of notepaper.

You will need this for the final puzzle.

Clue #2

Read This

Solutions are created by dissolving one substance into another.  The substance that is being dissolved is called the solute.  The substance doing the dissolving is called the solvent.  


In an example of salt water, the water breaks off the clusters of salt molecules into individual molecules.  These particles are then evenly spread among all the water molecules.


Think of cookies baking in the oven.  The gas molecules with the smell of hot cookies start to spread evenly among the air molecules.  That's why you can smell the cookies downstairs while playing.


Once the solvent can no longer dissolve any more of the substance, we call that a saturated solution.


Did you know that water is considered the universal solvent?  This is because water can dissolve more things than any other liquid! 

Step 1: Puzzle

Click the green flag to solve start the puzzle.  If having trouble loading click the pink button at the bottom to open it in a new window.

Step 2: Find the Suspect

The animal that was able to dissolve the most of their solute is still a suspect, the rest are set free.


Step 3: Write it Down

Write down the animal that is still the suspect on a sheet of notepaper.

You will need this for the final puzzle.

BONUS:
Try out each of the three methods listed with the animals to see for yourself the difference.

Clue #3

Read This

Crystals form when a liquid cools and starts to harden.  The molecules in the liquid are attracted together in a repeating pattern that creates the crystal.


The liquid needs to be supersaturated.  This means that the liquid has dissolved more of a substance than it normally can hold on to.


Once it starts to cool, the movement of the particles slows down, and the solution becomes unstable.  This makes the molecules cling to each other to try and stabilize.

Step 1: Puzzle

Click the green flag to solve start the puzzle.  If having trouble loading click the pink button at the bottom to open it in a new window.

Step 2: Find the Suspect

The animal who made a crystal is still a suspect, the rest are set free.


Step 3: Write it Down

Write down the animal that is still the suspect on a sheet of notepaper.

You will need this for the final puzzle.

Clue #4

Read This and Unscramble the Words

Click the green flag to solve start the puzzle.  If having trouble loading click the pink button at the bottom to open it in a new window.

Step 1: Puzzle

Click the green flag to solve start the puzzle.  If having trouble loading click the pink button at the bottom to open it in a new window.

Step 2: Find the Suspect

The animals with a pH below 7 are not guilty and are set free.


Step 3: Write it Down

Write down the animal that is still the suspect on a sheet of notepaper.

You will need this for the final puzzle.

BONUS:
Try out your own at-home pH testing to see how the results compare.

Clue #5

Read This

Density is the measurement of how much mass can be packed into a space.  It is more dense if something can squeeze in a lot of mass.


Solids are very dense, gases are the least dense, and liquids are in the middle.


Each state of matter can also vary in density.  It can be hard to visually see how gases or solids can have different densities.  With liquids, you can see how they create layers when combined.

Step 1: Puzzle

Click the green flag to solve start the puzzle.  If having trouble loading click the pink button at the bottom to open it in a new window.

Step 2: Find the Suspect

The animal with the most dense liquid is still considered a suspect, the rest are set free. 


Step 3: Write it Down

Write down the animal that is still the suspect on a sheet of notepaper.

You will need this for the final puzzle.

Final Clue

Step 1: Fill out the Form

Answer who the suspects still are.  If you are correct, it will unlock and give you the final puzzle!

Click the green flag to solve start the puzzle.  If having trouble loading click the pink button at the bottom to open it in a new window.

Step 2: Solve the Final Puzzle

Answer who the guilty animal is below!

If you are correct, it will unlock and the mystery is solved.