Now that you’ve had a little time to scout some great spots and plan some tricky challenges it’s time for your next step in the planning process.

Step 11:  Come Up with Clever Clues
Okay, of all the steps in this party, this one is probably the most time intensive.  It’s not particularly difficult, it just takes a little time and requires just a bit of creativity.  A good Wanda Witch clue should give your guests just enough information about their next ingredient location without making it too easy.  You want to be a little cryptic.  The goal here is to make the teams work together to figure it out.  I tend to write my clues in sort of a rhyming riddle, but your options are completely open.  If rhyming isn’t your thing, try tricky word puzzles or encoded messages.  The method isn’t important, as long as it gets your teams to the right spot. 

Here’s a sample of one of my previous clues to give you an idea of where to start.  This clue lead to a small dock on the shore of Graveyard Pond (yep, that was its real name) in Erie, PA.  It wasn’t particularly brilliant, but it seemed to get the guests where they needed to go.

Across the road from Perry’s Monument,
You’ll find a forest path.
It follows the shore of a pond that bore,
The graves of soldiers past.

Graveyard Pond holds many secrets,
At its murky base.
Along the trail, you musn’t fail,
To find a docking place.

Look for a clearing amidst the brush,
A place for boats to tie.
Below the surface your bone awaits,
Your clue is sealed inside.

Once you come up with your clues, use the clue frame files below to print out your clues on each color of paper.  The silhouette of the ingredient on the clue should match the ingredient they will find at that location.  For example, the clue I listed above was printed on the skeleton clue frame. 

To lead the guests to their final party destination you could write another clue, but if you’re handy with a copier or Photoshop you may want to try this tricky method instead.  Use an internet map (like yahoo or mapquest) to map your home address.  Copy and paste the image into Photoshop and delete all the street names.  I usually leave one or two clues to give them an idea of what part of town their dealing with (like the freeway number shown in this clue).  From there, they’re on their own to figure out where the map is leading them.  It’s a great way to keep your guests guessing until the very end. 

Since the clues are such a big part of your planning (and because there are a tons of downloads associated with this post), I’ll hold off until tomorrow to post the next step.  Good luck, all you Wandas out there!  Happy clue writing.  Just thought I’d pass it on.

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