Two Winter Digital Breakouts and a Bonus Puzzle

Here are three wonderfully winter-themed activities that are 100% ready to use. Let’s take a look.

The Winter Breakout

Digital breakouts are my jam. My Winter Breakout has not been released publicly until right now! It is the easiest of the two breakouts in this post. Now you might be asking, how is it easier? 

1. There are only two sections available for clues.
2. The locks give an example.
3. I included only one obvious distractor – the little birds in the trees.
4. No commas, and the order of a color/number/letter is NOT mixed up. (But then again – insider tip – I never mix up the order of my locks. What you see is what you get: WYSIWYG! For further verification, the order is never in alphabetical order, backward, or any other order you might think of. )

The Snowstorm Stumper

I am so excited to release my newest breakout, The Snowstorm Stumper. This breakout has four locks:

• Six Color Lock
• Five Direction Lock
• Four Number Lock
• Four Letter Lock

Insider Tips

If you are new to my breakouts or a fanatic of my breakout creations, here are a few handy dandy insider tips. 

1. I always try to include one or two hidden links for lock answers.
2. I rarely use links to outside websites because I never know when the link might break or when inappropriate content could pop up. So best just to stay away!
3. WYSIWYG is always in place. The order in which the clue is displayed on the page is the lock order. I never mix up text or images for an answer. 
4. Sometimes I use a lock I created myself. It is called a Number Shape Lock. Look for an object you see a whole bunch of in the Google Form, the hidden locks, or even on the page itself. Determine the shape of the object: sphere, square, or perhaps a circle. Look for this object everywhere! Keep count of how many you spot, and this is the number you will use in the lock answer.

Tips for the brand new breaker-outer!

• If your class has never solved a breakout, I would certainly solve a breakout together as a whole class activity. If that goes well, solve breakouts in small groups or even individually.
• Model your thought process.
• Always look at the locks on the Google Form and read through them first. This will give you a heads-up on what you are looking for. For example, if one of the locks is a Four Color Lock – look on the page for a group of four colors. 
• Write down the combinations you have tried. This way, you won’t keep trying the same answer over and over.

Happy breaking out. Teachers, if you need the answers, please email Peggy at preimers@tcea.org. And if you have an idea for a breakout topic, leave me a comment, and I just might create one for you!

BONUS: Winter Syllacrostic Puzzle

I’m excited to share a syllacrostic puzzle with a winter theme! This is my second syllacrostic since I first tried my hand at this puzzle at Thanksgiving. The response was favorable, so here we go with a winter one! Just in case you are unfamiliar with this type of puzzle, here are the basics. A syllacrostic puzzle has 15 to 20 words to solve. You use the given pool of syllables to help you find the answers. The activity also has the following information as clues for each word:

1. A related word or phrase
2. The number of syllables in the word
3. The number of letters for each word

Enjoy these festive activities with your students, and let me know how things go!

More Digital Breakouts

• Back-to-School Breakout
• Falling for Digital Breakouts
• 50 States Digital Breakout
• Spooky Games and Breakouts
• PB & J Digital Breakout
• Winter Breakouts
• MLK Day Breakout
• Merry Merry Breakout
• Valentine’s Day Digital Breakout
• The Boo Breakout
• Trick or Treat Digital Breakout