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Each adventure fits on one page, answers included. Keep it face down; read from it like the keeper's screen.

🗼 The Lighthouse That Went Dark

20 minutes · ages 6 to 8 · Nothing but this screen. Paper and a pencil help the Counter.

The lamp on Gull Rock has gone out and the boats can’t find the harbour. The crew has to reach the top and light it.

  1. The two paths (4 min, Mapper). Read: The lighthouse on Gull Rock has gone dark. The boats out at sea can’t find the harbour. You are the crew who will light it again. Mapper, which way do we go? The beach path, or the cliff steps?
  2. Shells for lamp oil (4 min, Counter). Read: At the harbour, a fisher sells lamp oil. One jar of oil costs six shells. We have no shells. We have two fish and one crab. The fisher swaps one fish for two shells. One crab is worth three shells. How many shells do we get? Is it enough for the oil?
    Answer: We have 7 shells. The oil costs 6, so 1 is left over.
  3. The note on the door (4 min, Reader). Read: The tower door has a note in a secret code. Under it is the key to the code. Reader, show us the shapes. Each shape is a letter. What word does the note spell?
    Code: ▲ ● ■ ◆ — key: ▲=L, ●=A, ■=M, ◆=P, ★=T, ✚=O
    Answer: It spells LAMP.
  4. Which door goes up? (4 min, Asker). Read: Inside are six doors, numbered one to six. Only one goes up to the lamp. Asker, you may ask me three things. Ask about the colour, the shape, or the number. Which door goes up to the lamp?
    Clues: The door is round. The door is not red. Its number is bigger than 3.
    Answer: The door with number 4.
  5. Light the lamp (4 min, Everyone). Read: You climb the stairs. The lamp is cold and dark. You pour in the oil. Everyone count down with me: three, two, one!

Ending: The lamp blazes. Its beam sweeps across the sea. Far away, a little boat turns toward the harbour. The crew did it together.

Ask: Which part was the hardest? · Who had a good idea that helped? · If we played again, what would you change?

🍃 The Garden Under the Leaves

20 minutes · ages 6 to 8 · This screen. A pencil helps for the leaf grid.

A wind blew leaves over the whole garden. Two bugs are napping somewhere under them. The crew has to find the gardener’s key without waking them.

  1. The two gates (3 min, Mapper). Read: Last night a big wind blew through the garden. Now leaves cover everything. The gardener has lost her key. Mapper, do we go in by the red gate or the green gate?
  2. Don’t wake the bugs (5 min, Mapper). Read: Two bugs are napping under the leaves. Each open square shows a number. The number says how many bugs touch that square. Touch means beside it, above, below, or corner to corner. Which leaves are safe to lift?
    1 · B1 🍃 · C1 🍃 · D1 🍃
    1 · 1 · 2 · D2 🍃
    0 · 0 · C3 🍃 · D3 🍃
    Answer: Safe to open: C1 and C3. The bugs sleep under B1 and D3.
  3. The shed riddle (4 min, Reader). Read: The shed is locked with a riddle. Reader, read it out. I have teeth but I never bite. I help the gardener tidy the leaves. What am I?
    Answer: A rake.
  4. Seeds in the tray (4 min, Counter). Read: On the bench is a tray of seed pots. There are three rows of six pots. A sack hides four of them. How many pots can you see?
    Answer: 3 rows of 6 is 18. Take away 4: 14.
  5. Which pot hides the key? (4 min, Asker). Read: Six flower pots stand by the door. The key is under one of them. Asker, ask me three things. Which pot hides the key?
    Clues: The pot is short. The pot is not blue. Its number is smaller than 4.
    Answer: The pot with number 3.

Ending: Under pot three is a small brass key. The gardener laughs and opens the gate to the vegetable patch. The bugs never woke up.

Ask: Which leaf were you most worried about? · Who noticed something important? · Was it easier when we went slowly? Why?

🌉 The Market on the Bridge

20 minutes · ages 6 to 8 · This screen. Paper helps the Counter.

The night market on the old bridge is about to open, but the lantern seller has lost her lantern key. The crew trades, decodes and asks their way to it.

  1. Which end of the bridge? (3 min, Mapper). Read: Tonight the market opens on the old bridge. The lantern seller has lost her lantern key. Mapper, do we start at the river end or the town end?
  2. A fair swap (4 min, Counter). Read: A stall sells a ball of string for five shells. We need string to reach the lantern pole. We have three apples and one pear. One apple is worth one shell. One pear is worth four shells. How many shells do we have? How many are left after the string?
    Answer: We have 7 shells. The string costs 5, so 2 are left over.
  3. The weather code (4 min, Reader). Read: A sign hangs on the lantern pole. It is written in weather pictures. Reader, find each picture in the key. What word does the sign spell?
    Code: ☾ ☀ ☁ ❄ — key: ☾=K, ☀=E, ☁=Y, ❄=S, ☂=N
    Answer: It spells KEYS.
  4. Lanterns on the rail (4 min, Counter). Read: Lanterns hang along the bridge rail. There are four strings with five lanterns on each. Two lanterns have gone out. How many lanterns are still lit?
    Answer: 4 rows of 5 is 20. Take away 2: 18.
  5. Which stall has the keys? (5 min, Asker). Read: Six stalls stand in a row. The keys are at one of them. Asker, ask me three things. Which stall has the keys?
    Clues: The stall is striped. The stall is not orange. Its number is bigger than 4.
    Answer: The stall with number 5.

Ending: At stall five, the keys hang on a hook. The lantern seller lights every lantern on the bridge. The whole market glows.

Ask: Which swap or sum was trickiest? · Who asked a really good question? · What could the crew trade next time?