Harriet’s Trail

Harriet and Patrick are making a costume trail for the school heritage open day. Visitors will follow clues between three displays. One has a baker's apron, one has a gardener's hat, and one has a messenger's satchel. Ms Blake helps them check the finished route before the doors open.

Harriet reads the first clue aloud. “Find the person who carries something,” she says. Patrick looks at the three displays. “A gardener carries tools, and a baker carries bread,” he replies. Harriet meant the messenger, but her clue could lead visitors to more than one place.

She adds another line about a bag, then stops. The apron has large pockets, which could carry things too. Ms Blake asks Harriet to think about the job, rather than only the clothes. What is the messenger carrying, and why would someone need it taken somewhere else?

Harriet writes a new clue about taking a written message from one person to another. Patrick tries it without looking at the answer card. This time, he walks straight to the satchel display. Harriet keeps the old clue beside the new one, so she can compare them.

At the next station, Patrick finds another problem. The gardener's role card has slipped behind the stand. The clue is clear, but there is no label to confirm his choice. They attach the card firmly at the front, where a visitor can find it after thinking about the clue.

They invite two students to test the whole trail. One student reads while the other looks at the displays. They discuss a choice, check the role card and move on together. Harriet waits before helping. She wants to find out which parts work without her explanation.

When the visitors arrive, Harriet watches a family pause at the messenger clue. They talk about what a message might say, then choose the satchel. Nobody needs her to point to the answer. Patrick notices her smile and brings over the next set of trail cards.

After the open day, Harriet puts the two versions of her first clue into a folder. The longer clue was not simply more words. It gave people the information they needed to make a choice. Next time, she will ask someone to test a clue before calling it finished.