My niece is a Girl Scout. And all that has meant so far is that I occasionally see photos of her Troop’s activities on my sister-in-law’s Facebook page and, more importantly, I have a regular hook-up for Girl Scout Cookies.
But when that same sister-in-law suggested we start catering to Girl Scout troops I was skeptical. A bunch of twelve-year-olds running amok in my carefully crafted escape room? I mean, I remember my days as a Boy Scout back in…let’s say “19xx”, and we certainly got up to shenanigans. Plus, when Red Lantern Inc. decided to recommend Midnight on the Bayou for ages 10 and up, I figured we’d get a kid or two with their parents, who could help them through some of the more complicated puzzles and the more sophisticated thematic elements. I certainly hadn’t planned for a group of all kids hitting the room Lord of the Flies style.
But I agreed to give it a try, and then promptly forgot that I agreed. So when that first Troop arrived a week later I was caught off guard. They stormed into the escape room like…well, a storm, of voices and movement and—did we have that much energy as kids? Holy cow.
The girls did settle down for my introduction, where my decades of teaching experience with different ages and ability levels certainly helped (as did the parent in the room who unobtrusively supervised). The challenge was coming up with a kid-friendly history of Cormier Parish, specifically the decades-old barn fire during a homecoming dance where some students died. I didn’t want to be too morbid, or drift into PG territory; but I needed to get across the thematic element of lives ended early and goals left unfinished. Turns out I didn’t need to worry. “So they were just regular high school kids,” one Girl Scout said. “And they just wanted to do regular high school stuff?” Yup, that’s the heart of it.
During the hour-long game the girls did handle some props “enthusiastically,” but we’d built our escape room sturdy and it held up. And I did have to provide some extra help with things like the operation of a directional lock or the pronunciation of “boutonniere”. But the girls also caught on to other things quicker than most adults. I can’t give any specifics without being spoiler-y, but the Scouts followed the room’s characters and their motivations a bit better than the typical “grown up”. (The girls also scavenged the room at super-sonic speed.)
The Scouts worked well together, had a fantastic experience, and ended up escaping with a couple minutes left—a time they definitely earned. We’ve had three Troops come through so far, and it’s gone so well we’ve decided to offer merit badges ($2 a patch, contact us for more details).
So if you know a Girl Scout, suggest a trip to Red Lantern Escape Rooms. Of course, we’re still open to adults and the general public. But if you are a “grown up” and you come play the room you may be doing so with some extra pressure. I mean, are you going to let a group of little girls beat you?
