Waiting Room Detective

About 30 minutes, indoors, for ages 5 to 7.

Where it works

Works in any indoor space

Who it's for

ages 5 to 7

Try this adventure now:

  • A poster with a body part on it
  • A plant that might be fake
  • Something with wheels
  • A clock or a screen showing the time
  • Someone reading
  • A door that only staff go through
  • A chair nobody has sat in

Today's Challenge

  1. 1.What is the strangest thing on the walls here?
  2. 2.How many doors can you see from your chair?
  3. 3.What sound do you keep hearing?

Quick Start: What you need

  • 1Nothing at all. Just go outside and look.

The Goal

For the appointment that runs late. No supplies, no noise, nothing to pack.

How to start

  1. 1

    No supplies needed. You can start from wherever you are.

  2. 2

    Head indoors and see how many you can find: A poster with a body part on it, A plant that might be fake, Something with wheels, A clock or a screen showing the time.

  3. 3

    Talk about what you are seeing. Start with "What is the strangest thing on the walls here?"

  4. 4

    Print the worksheet to check things off as you find them, and keep it afterwards.

Redesign This Room

Draw what you would put in this waiting room to make the wait better.

Fish tanks turn up in waiting rooms because watching fish has been shown to slow people down and settle nerves.

If you want to push it further

  • Find something in the room that does not belong in a waiting room
  • Guess how many minutes are left, then see who was closest

Print it and go

The worksheet has the checklist, the prompts, and a space to draw in. One page, ready for a bag or a glovebox.

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