Interesting Ways to use Water in your Adventures
Hi everyone! The Crafter is back to give you some more ideas for your own adventures! This week, we’re talking all about water. This material is plentiful, unique in its properties, and the best part of all, it’s free!
I was talking with my kids over the holidays, and they were giving me some ideas for things that I could use in my adventures. One of my girls told me “Wouldn’t it be cool if you could write a secret message using water? Then we can make a secret message whenever we want!” That comment got my wheels turning, and I thought there must be a way to use water to make a secret message; so off I went down the water rabbit hole!
Using water to write and reveal a secret message:
Did you know you can actually use water to write and reveal a secret message? All you need is 2 pieces of paper, a sharp pencil, a tray of water, and a really flat surface to write on!
First you take one of your sheets of paper, and submerge it in the tray of water, soaking it completely. Once it’s soaked, lay the piece down on the completely flat surface, and place the second (dry) piece of paper on top of it.
Now write your message on the dry piece of paper with the sharpened pencil. It will create an imprint of the message on the wet piece of paper below it.
Once you are done writing your message, you can get rid of the paper that you used to write the message. The wet paper will still look like it has the message on it, but once it dries it will be completely invisible!
To reveal the message, simply submerge the paper in water again! I have also seen others do this trick by holding the re-wet paper up to a light source. Try it out and let us know how it went!
Using water to reveal a floating container that contains a clue:
If you are familiar with Geocaching, you may know this one! Some people make geocaches (small containers hidden outdoors that people use lat. and long. coordinates and apps to find. They often have a logbook (where the finder can put their name and the date they found it) in the puzzles. For one of them, you have to put the cache inside a small container that is buoyant, and place that in a large container or pipe that the finder cannot fit their hands into. The finder needs to fill that container with water to reach the cache! You can do something similar with a large vase that has a narrow opening (like in the video below, courtesy of my local thrift store!), or even a small fish bowl that has a small opening! You can put a clue in a buoyant container, or even attach a key to something buoyant (like a cork or packing peanut) and have your players fill the container to get the clue or key!
Using Hydrophobic spray to leave a secret message on the sidewalk or concrete:
This one has a super fun “wow factor”. It blows everyone’s minds when they pour water on a certain spot and a secret message is revealed!
You can DIY this at home too! There are a couple options. The spray you see in the Gif is Rainworks. You can also pickup Rust-o-Leum’s Never Wet in the “Frosted/Clear” variety. Once you have the spray, make a stencil (or buy some wooden letters). You’ll need some kind of tape if you go the stencil route. Then you’re ready!
Find the area where you want to put your message, and make sure it is clean and dry.
Lay down your stencil and tape it/stick it to where you want to work.
Read the instructions carefully for proper use, and spray/paint the stencil.
Let it dry completely, (you might need to spray again) then your message is ready! All you need to do is direct your players to pour water on it!
Use water beads to hide and reveal a secret message:
What is this magic? It’s water beads! Yes, like those Orbeez beads that the kids love. Only these are decorative water beads that are often used as restaurant decor or placed in glass vases as a centerpiece for events. You can find them at almost any craft store, and they are pretty inexpensive too!
To make this gambit work, you need a tall clear vessel (I used a glass water bottle here because it has a narrow neck meaning the players can’t just take the message out), your message, and water!
Follow the directions to hydrate your water beads (mine took 6-8 hours to fully hydrate and plump.) Be sure to use clear water beads, though transparent colored beads will work too!
Use the water beads to obscure your message (I used scrabble tiles that I taped together here, but you can use laminated paper, fridge magnets, or anything else that is waterproof).
To reveal the message, give your players a water source (have them unlock a water pump handle, or find a bottle full of water, the possibilities are endless!) and instruct them to pour the water into the vessel holding your message. The water beads seemingly disappear and your message will become readable as if by magic!
Well I hope you have found some great ideas and inspiration for your own adventures using water! Have you made a water puzzle or “wow! factor” that I haven't discussed here? Tell us all about it on the Constructed Adventures Subreddit, or on our Instagram page! We'd love to hear about all of your adventures and puzzles (even if they don't use water!). If you ever want some help with your adventures or puzzles, want to join in a puzzle hunt, or just wanna chat, join us on the Constructed Adventures Discord Channel! We hope to hear from you soon!
Until next time,
Happy Adventuring!