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From Club Project to Schoolwide Challenge: The Arduino Escape Room Built by Learners
It all started with the basics and a breadboard — learners in the Arduino Club experimented with the Arduino to programme devices that could detect heat, measure distance, or even play a simple game of Tetris. Though they were beginners, their growing curiosity pushed them to build one project after another, each more ambitious than the last.
That initial spark soon grew into something remarkable: a fully immersive escape room experience combining coded puzzles, interactive tech, and a mysterious storyline. Every detail — from the narrative to the wiring — was imagined and brought to life by the learners themselves.
What began as a club project now captured the hearts of the school community, with over 75 participants signed up to challenge the Mad Maker’s escape room. The learners also managed to raise funds for the Proteus Syndrome Foundation through these sessions during Care for Others Week and Nexus’s annual International Fair.
A Collaborative Community of Makers
This year’s Arduino Escape Room was led by a core group of ten Secondary learners — mostly from Year 8, with additional members from Years 9, 10 and 12. Although five Year 11 learners who actively participated last year could not join this time due to exams, they had formed the backbone of the club the year before, mentoring younger members and designing puzzles still used in the escape room today. This blend of year groups fostered a rich culture of peer learning and created an environment where learners supported each other with varying strengths, allowing them to solve problems together and inspire one another along the way.
At the heart of the Escape Room is the Arduino — a small but powerful microcontroller that can be programmed and connected to a wide range of sensors and electronic components. Think of it as a blank canvas for creating tech-based solutions – this includes motion detectors, laser mazes, temperature sensors and even handheld gaming devices. Unlike plug-and-play systems like LEGO robotics, Arduino demands a deeper level of coding and circuitry knowledge. It’s more challenging — but that’s exactly what makes it so rewarding.
The Arduino was brought to Nexus by our Design & Computer Science teacher, Mr Ciaran Frayne, who discovered its potential while teaching in Indonesia. What began as a collaboration with an IT colleague soon evolved into an entire makers club and escape room programme. When he joined Nexus, Mr Ciaran was eager to see if the same creative spirit could thrive in a brand-new setting.
"The beauty of Arduino is in the process. It's not about comparing yourself to others. It's about experimenting, failing, trying again, and creating something completely original."
Mr Ciaran
Design & Computer Science Teacher
Inside the Escape Room: Behind the Scenes
Once inside the room, the story begins to unfold. Players are briefed on their mission: to outwit the elusive Mad Maker, who has hidden a valuable treasure behind a series of electronic puzzles and clever misdirections. Suitable for four to five players, the room was open to anyone from Year 5 and above. It proved to be equally challenging and fun, even for adults!
To progress through the room, players must complete a sequence of interactive tasks using Arduino-powered devices and find clues with robots, each programmed by the learners. One section required a steady hand and sharp memory to conquer a memory game where you had to repeat a light pattern. Another involved a proximity sensor that only revealed the code when you successfully coordinated four distances simultaneously! There was a mix of independent challenges and ones that demanded teamwork. Players had to share observations and communicate solutions to unlock clues.
Top left: Uncovering the Mad Maker's hidden message
Bottom left: Pressing a button to copy the light up pattern
Right: Tetris using the arduino
Each successful puzzle completion revealed another piece of the bigger picture, inching players closer to the final task: unlocking the Mad Maker’s safe. The process is immersive and, at times, delightfully frustrating. Players are drawn into a world created by the learners, where code, creativity and collaboration come together to tell a story.
Beyond the Code: A Holistic Learning Journey
As the learners started working towards the escape room, they quickly found themselves encountering new tasks that went beyond the technical Arduino foundations that they had started with. The learners went from building devices to crafting an experience. From developing a storyline to designing puzzles and decorating the space, they had to think creatively and practically to make the escape room engaging and coherent.
This process brought together a wide range of skills. Alongside programming and technology, learners took on roles in design, project management, and even performance. They presented the project on stage, created custom invitations, and guided visitors through the escape room — tasks many had never tried before.
“When I first started in the Escape Room, I wasn’t sure I was going to enjoy it,” Samarth, a Year 8 learner shared. “But seeing the players laugh while trying the Escape Room filled me with joy and laughter. Both the planning and execution of the fundraiser was interesting and fun. I felt so much pride as I watched people complete the Mad Maker’s Escape Room. Overall, I would like to do this again.”
This experience showed learners that technical work often exists alongside storytelling, collaboration and communication. The project also became an opportunity to grow in confidence and try new things as learners took ownership of the entire process from idea to delivery.
The Escape Room reflects the holistic, real-world learning experiences we champion at Nexus as we create opportunities that are meaningful, multifaceted and learner-led. Mr Ciaran, who leads the Arduino Club, has always believed in making learning enjoyable and relevant. His approach creates a space where learners feel supported to take risks, solve problems, and grow — both as makers and as people.
“I enjoyed going through the process of creating the individual puzzles and coding the Arduino to find errors,” Charlie, a Year 8 learner shares. “During the sessions, we experienced difficulties from the robots not functioning to Arduino puzzles breaking down but it was still great fun. I felt proud when my family members attempted the puzzles and sometimes failed. It was amazing seeing their reactions. For me, the whole experience was one to remember and I want to inspire others to learn and give this a go too.”
Apart from providing a fun and tricky experience, the Arduino Club learners were raising funds and awareness for the Proteus Syndrome Foundation (PSF) as part of Care for Others Week. Proteus Syndrome is an extremely rare condition that affects fewer than one in a million people, causing abnormal overgrowth of bone, skin, and other tissues. Each case is different and often complex — and because of this rarity, many families struggle to access the specialised care and equipment their children need, with little or no support from insurance.
By donating all proceeds from the Escape Room to the PSF, the learners hoped to make a meaningful difference in the lives of those affected, using their project not only as a challenge in coding and creativity, but as a way to show compassion through action.
You can also donate any amount you’d like by scanning the QR code.
Looking Ahead: Confidence, Purpose and Possibility
For our learners, this escape room has changed how they see technology. They’ve gained valuable insight into how coding and technology exists within various contexts and are vehicles to solve problems, tell stories, and even support a cause. What began as a club project became something much more: a real-world venture that combined creativity, teamwork and technical skill.
Though most of the learners are only in Year 8, they took on tremendous challenges that are far beyond what’s expected at their age. From promotion to planning to problem-solving and decision-making, the Arduino club learners have exceeded expectations. There were terrific moments where club members engaged in passionate brainstorming sessions, supported each other in difficult times, and raced against the clock to fix damaged puzzles or robots during high-demand play sessions.
Thanks to this experience, several Arduino club learners have voiced a greater interest in STEM fields and hope to take on more hands-on, real-world projects that combine coding, design, and social good. Beyond that, they’ve also discovered what it means to lead, support each other, and persevere under pressure when things go wrong.
Mr Ciaran, who guided the club through the process, reflected:
“I’ve worked with Arduino for years—even run escape rooms before—but what’s made this experience truly special is how much the learners have stepped up. They adapted puzzles, shared unique ideas and showed incredible resilience and reliability under pressure. I think having a meaningful cause—the Proteus Syndrome Foundation—gave the project purpose and brought the group together. I’m so proud that the club has made this plan that we’ve worked towards for so long such a success!”
As the Arduino club looks to the future, there is much potential for growth. With current members excited about what they could build next and more learners hoping to join the club, we’re excited to see what the learners do next.
In the end, the Mad Maker may have set the challenge, but it’s the learners who came out with the real treasure: learning experiences that will prepare them for the real world.
