Rainbow Detective Agency
Project by Julie McKevitt, Paint Love founder
Set up a super fun activity where kid detectives find a secret code, solve clues, and find treasure at the end.
Background
Last year I created a detective crime solving activity for my cousin’s three kids who love puzzles. The activity was a big hit and my cousin’s oldest son even asked me to create another activity for him for his birthday party. I felt like the coolest aunt in the world!! With “social distancing” from COVID-19 forcing my friends with kids into their homes, I figured this was the perfect activity to pull out and surprise some of them at the doorstep.
Supplies
Scissors
Tape
String or Yarn to wrap about the packaging and make it look official
GOLD! (get creative, in the past I have (1) made gold cookies with edible gold sprinkles and on a separate occasion (2) painted rocks gold and covered them with glitter - With younger kids you may want to involve them in the process of making the gold and THEN hide the gold and give them clues to find it…with older kids, it may be more fun just to surprise them all together with the activity and treasure at the end)
Printer (OR you could just hand write on envelopes and make it more DIY…like I did the first time)
5 Business size Envelopes (I used #10 Size)
1 A6 Envelope or similar
1 Manila Envelope
A Secret Code (handwritten or icon option or make your own)
4 Clue Envelope Covers (Clue 1 & 2 and Clue 3 & 4)
4 Clues (create your own or print this optional one)
Envelope Cover for the Detective “Case Instructions” (print)
Directions
A parent/caregiver (aka “Head Detective”) hides a secret code in a room or designated area (portion of a house, outside, etc..). There are 26 small pieces of paper each with a letter and a symbol for that letter.
Once the code is hidden, the kids (aka “detectives”) are given their instructions envelope
The detectives find all 26 pieces of paper called “evidence” AND collect 6 other items of evidence from around the house in a bag. Because of the Rainbow theme…there must be one item from each color: red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple. All the items must fit in their collection bag and it can be anything they are allowed to pick up and put in a bag (aka probably no tiny dogs or steak knives, etc..).
Once the kids show the “head detective” they collected all the evidence, they are given Clue #1 or all the Clues, depending on how the game is set up.
Each clue is written in the secret code language and the “detectives” must use the 26 pieces of paper to crack the code and solve the clues.
The Clues can either all work together to lead to the treasure ( example: clue #1: “Look”, clue #2:“Under” clue #3:“The” clue #4:“Mailbox”) OR can lead you from one clue to the next and then to the treasure (clue #1 “Find Clue #2 in a brown bag in the kitchen”; Clue #2 “look under the blue table” to Clue #3 to Clue #4). Obviously more words and places the detectives are led to the longer and harder the game will be.
At the end, the detectives will find gold (because its Leprechaun themed). The first time we did this activity, we made cookies with gold sprinkles. When I made it for my neighbors, we painted rocks gold and put glitter on them.
More info on Downloadables
Detective Agency (Alphabet) Code -
WITH ICONS and cut lines (jpg)
WITH ICONS in Google drive (so you can copy and edit and create to make your own clues on the computer)
WITH EASY HANDWRITTEN CODE (so you can use to hand write clues)
WITH BLANK CODE (so you can write your own)
Detective Agency (Alphabet) Code - WITH easy Handwritten Code w/cut lines
OPTIONAL: Pre-Made Clue Sheet from ICONS with cut lines
(this spells out “ Look,” “Under,” “The,” “Mailbox”)
Top Secret Agency Page (Cover Page)
This gets taped to a large manila envelope or wraps around all of the other envelopes with a piece of tape or ribbon.
Clue 1 & Clue 2 Envelope Covers
These are each taped to the front of a long business envelope. You will stick the clues you either print or hand write in their correct envelope.
Clue 3 & Clue 4 Envelope Covers
These are each taped to the front of a long business envelope. You will stick the clues you either print or hand write in their correct envelope.
Case Instructions & Head Detective Envelope Cover + Instructions for Head Detective
The Case Instructions will be cut out and taped to the front of a long business envelope. Inside the envelope you will put the Detective Instruction Letter.
The Head Detective Envelope Cover + Instructions are OPTIONAL and only used if you are giving this packet to someone else and don’t hide the code yourself.
If you are giving the packet to someone else, you would put this in a regular sized envelope with the Head Detective Cover taped on line and the instructions cut out and placed inside with the 26 piece code.
