Escape room: The Time Machine
A history escape room for grades 4–6: put inventions on a timeline, count the years from the first flight to the Moon and get home.
The story
The class time machine broke down in the middle of a journey! To get back to the present, you need to fix its date panel. Each station gives back one part of the code.
The machine stopped in an ancient inventor’s workshop, and its screen is flashing: “Enter return code”.
4 story stations · online you can pick a level that adds more locks.
Run it at home or in class
What to prepare
- Station sheets
- A paper timeline on the board
- A 4-digit lock or an envelope
- Invention cards to cut out (wheel, printing press, telephone, Moon)
Tips for the facilitator
- At station 2, give pupils cards to cut out and physically order on the timeline.
- Allow scrap paper for the year calculations.
- At the end, ask each team to add one invention they know to the timeline.
Difficulty level for “The Time Machine”
The story clues stay the same on every level; harder levels add more locks in between. You can ask for a hint at every stage.
⏳ The Time Machine
The class time machine broke down in the middle of a journey! To get back to the present, you need to fix its date panel. Each station gives back one part of the code.
0 of 6 stages solved
Stage 1: From aeroplane to Moon
1/6In 1903 the Wright brothers made the first powered flight. In 1969 people landed on the Moon for the first time.
Facilitator guide: ⏳ The Time Machine
What the room practises
Subtracting years, ordering a timeline and reading digits.
The 4 stations (without the answers)
- From aeroplane to Moon: How many years passed from the first flight to the Moon landing?
- The timeline: Order the inventions from oldest to newest and write their numbers in a row.
- A jump back: Which year did the machine reach?
- The return code: What is the return code?
Preparing and printing
On the easy level the printed kit has 7 pages: a facilitator sheet with the opening story, the setup list and every answer, plus an A4 card for each of the 6 stages. Besides printing, get ready: a paper timeline on the board and invention cards to cut out (wheel, printing press, telephone, moon).
Most important: At station 2, give pupils cards to cut out and physically order on the timeline.
Age and group size
Best with teams of 3–5 children. In a class or a big party, print a kit per team and run the room in parallel.
Giving hints in this room
Online the hints open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit in the facilitator table next to each answer. Give the first hint after a couple of minutes of silence, not at the first wrong guess.
Frequently asked questions
What age is “The Time Machine” for, and how long does it take?
It was written for grades 4–6, at medium difficulty, and usually takes 20–30 minutes. It has 4 story stations, and online you can choose between three difficulty levels that add more locks.
What do I need to run “The Time Machine”?
A printer and these props: Station sheets; A paper timeline on the board; A 4-digit lock or an envelope; Invention cards to cut out (wheel, printing press, telephone, Moon). The printable kit includes a facilitator sheet with every answer and a card for each stage.
What if the players get stuck?
Every stage has graded hints. Online they open one at a time; in the printed kit they sit next to each answer on the facilitator sheet. The first hint never gives the answer away.
Rooms like The Time Machine
The Deep-Sea Submarine
Octopuses with three hearts, whales that are mammals and starfish arms bring the submarine up.
Grades 3–6 · also for the classroom
The Museum Mystery
A painting has vanished: decode a number note, count visitors and use a suspect table.
Grades 4–6 · also for the classroom
The Math Olympics
Times tables, a doubling pattern, word problems and a mystery number win the gold medal.
Grades 3–5 · also for the classroom
The Locker Room Before the Final
Shirt numbers, the coach’s formation and a door code to crack before the whistle.
Kids and tweens · also for the classroom
The Stranded Space Station
Accurate space facts about the Sun and the planets restart the station’s navigation.
Kids and tweens · also for the classroom
The Secret Movie Premiere
Find out who runs the set, count the popcorn and open the projection safe on time.
Kids and tweens · also for the classroom