How a Free Challenge with Lisa from Thank Tank Teacher Turned Me into an Escape Room Maker Extraordinaire
A while back, I signed up for a free challenge with Lisa from Thank Tank Teacher, thinking it’d be a nice way to try something new. I didn’t expect it to change my whole approach to creating resources. But let me tell you – this wasn’t just a challenge. It was the gateway to a whole new (and ridiculously fun) world: escape rooms! After this free challenge, I am now a printable escape room maker!
Before this, I’d made all sorts of printables for birth workers and pregnancy-themed classroom resources. But escape rooms? That sounded like something better left to secret agents or overly enthusiastic parents. Still, curiosity won.
The Challenge That Changed Everything
Lisa’s challenge was packed with bite-sized lessons, practical ideas, and a whole lot of encouragement. She walked us through the basics of creating classroom escape rooms — not just how to design puzzles, but how to make them meaningful, engaging, and easy to set up (no glitter cannons or padlocks required, thank goodness).
It was one of those rare professional development experiences where I found myself saying, “Hang on, this is actually fun.” I could feel the creative cogs turning — faster than a caffeinated squirrel — and ideas started flowing.
From Learner to Creator – Escape Room Maker
By the end of the challenge, I wasn’t just inspired — I was obsessed. I began building my own printable escape rooms, themed around everything from woodland fairies to gender reveals. My puzzles got cheekier, my storylines got twistier, and I discovered that children (and grown-ups!) love cracking codes and solving mysteries.
What I loved most was how adaptable escape rooms are. Whether you’re teaching about birth hormones or celebrating a seasonal event in the classroom, there’s always a way to sneak in some secret messages and logic puzzles. Plus, they’re brilliant for teamwork and critical thinking — and let’s be honest, who doesn’t want to pretend they’re a codebreaker for a day?
The Next Level: Templates and Tools for Escape Room Makers
If you’re ready to go beyond the basics, Lisa also offers an in-depth online course, packed with even more tips, video tutorials, and — my personal favourite — editable templates. These are super helpful whether you’re just starting out or want to save time by adapting puzzles and storylines you can actually sell. It’s like having an escape room-making toolkit handed to you on a silver platter (minus the lock and key).
A Big Thank You to Lisa
So, to Lisa — thank you for offering that free challenge and opening the escape room door (literally). Your step-by-step guidance made the process so accessible, and your enthusiasm was absolutely contagious. I’m now officially hooked.
If anyone’s sitting on the fence about joining one of Lisa’s challenges: just do it. You might come out the other side with a full-blown printable escape room addiction… and no regrets.
👉 Want to join Lisa’s escape room challenge or course? That’s my affiliate link, so if you choose to sign up through it, you’ll be helping support my work too — thank you!
I have joined three of Lisa’s courses so far (all affiliate links):
- Cloaked in fun – Commercial Use
- Mini Escape Room for Escape Rooms for Etsy Sellers
- Easy Escape Rooms
I can highly recommend these courses, a total game changer!
Want to see the kind of escape rooms I now create? Take a peek at my Teachers Pay Teachers Shop (mainly gender reveals and pregnancy announcements) or My Etsy Escape Room shop for general party, seasonal, gender reveal, pregnancy announcements and engagement/marriage proposal escape rooms!— and maybe grab a magnifying glass while you’re at it. You never know what clues you might find…