Escape room: The Lost Jar of Oil
A Hanukkah escape room for kids 7–9: riddles about candles, the dreidel and the miracle of the oil open the chest. For families and classes.
The story
The shamash of the family menorah woke up in a panic: the little jar of oil is missing, and without it nobody can light the candles tonight! The jar is locked in a chest with a code. Solve the riddles to find the code.
It turns out the neighbours’ cat thought the jar was a toy and hid it in the chest.
5 story stations · online you can pick a level that adds more locks.
Run it at home or in class
What to prepare
- A menorah (hanukkiah) or a drawing of one
- A dreidel
- A box with a code lock or a sealed envelope
- Printed station sheets
- Pencils
Tips for the facilitator
- Hide each station sheet next to a Hanukkah object: the menorah, a dreidel, the candle box.
- At station 2, let the children count real candles if you have them.
- Put doughnuts or chocolate coins in the chest as the prize.
Difficulty level for “The Lost Jar of Oil”
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 Lost Jar of Oil
The shamash of the family menorah woke up in a panic: the little jar of oil is missing, and without it nobody can light the candles tonight! The jar is locked in a chest with a code. Solve the riddles to find the code.
0 of 6 stages solved
Stage 1: The shamash station
1/6On Hanukkah you light one candle on the first night and add one more candle every night. Every night you also light the shamash, the helper candle used to light all the others.
Facilitator guide: 🕎 The Lost Jar of Oil
What the room practises
Counting candles, adding 1 to 8, letter values on the dreidel and a difference.
The 5 stations (without the answers)
- The shamash station: How many candles burn in the menorah on the third night, including the shamash?
- The candle box: How many candles (without the shamash) are needed for all eight nights?
- The number dreidel: What is the total of the four letters on the dreidel?
- The miracle: How many days longer did the oil burn than it should have?
- The lock: Which code opens the chest?
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 menorah (hanukkiah) or a drawing of one and a box with a code lock or a sealed envelope.
Most important: Hide each station sheet next to a Hanukkah object: the menorah, a dreidel, the candle box.
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 Lost Jar of Oil” for, and how long does it take?
It was written for kids 7–9, at easy–medium difficulty, and usually takes 15–20 minutes. It has 5 story stations, and online you can choose between three difficulty levels that add more locks.
What do I need to run “The Lost Jar of Oil”?
A printer and these props: A menorah (hanukkiah) or a drawing of one; A dreidel; A box with a code lock or a sealed envelope; Printed station sheets; Pencils. 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.
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