Escape Rooms Are Great Math Activities

One eighth grade math class is discovering that escape rooms are great math activities.

Eighth graders in Nathan Dunham’s math class enjoy the challenge of solving puzzles, finding objects hiding in plain sight, and racing against the clock.

Escape rooms feature a series of locked boxes that are opened by solving math problems. It’s a fun way for Dunham to teach the concepts that kids need to know. They had to solve the problems without a calculator, to complete the room.

Only after solving the equations and separating the irrational numbers from the rational numbers, and placing the rational numbers in ascending order would they find the code to open the next lock.

“It’s still math, but in a fun way,” said Devon Christensen. He says that the locks make the students feel like they are accomplishing something.

Dunham wants the students to work in groups, so they establish teams, which solve their own sets of problems. In learning the skills they need in math, they also learn the skill of sharing responsibility and working together.