Math can feel like an adventure when students solve puzzles that challenge them to think, reason, and imagine. In The Lost Cabin Adventure, each puzzle takes students deeper into mathematical thinking and problem solving, while also giving them strategies like making a list, drawing a picture, building a model, or working backwards.
Here are solutions to each puzzle.
There are fewer than 50 supplies. You can put the supplies in groups of 2 with none left over, in groups of 3 with none left over, and in groups of 5 and 6 and still have no leftovers.
How many supplies have you found?
👉 First, what does it mean to have “none left over”?
It means the total can be divided evenly into groups.
🧠Problem-solving strategy: Make a List.
The common multiple of 2, 3, 5, and 6 that is less than 50 is 30.
✅ ANSWER: The cabin holds 30 supplies.
Two graham crackers are as long as 5 chocolate squares.
Five chocolate squares are as long as 16 mini-marshmallows.
How many mini-marshmallows are needed for 3 graham crackers?
👉 Let’s break it down step by step.
🧠Problem-solving strategy: Draw a picture. Students can sketch crackers, chocolate squares, and marshmallows to visualize the relationships.
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So, 1 graham cracker = 8 mini-marshmallows.
✅ ANSWER: You need 24 mini-marshmallows for 3 graham crackers.
Stack 28 cans in a pyramid so each row has one less can than the row below it, and the very top row has just one can.
How many rows will your pyramid have?
👉 Here’s how to think about it:
🧠Problem-solving strategy: Draw a picture.
1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 6 + 7= 28
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✅ ANSWER: The pyramid will have 7 rows.
The perimeter of the rectangular cabin is 38 feet. The length is 3 feet longer than the width.
What is the length of the longer wall?
👉 Here is a way to approach this one
🧠Problem-solving strategy: Guess and Check
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✅ANSWER: Length = 11
It takes 4 minutes to cut a log in half.
If you keep sawing at the same speed, how long will it take to cut the log into 6 pieces?
👉 Here’s how to think about it:
🧠Problem-solving strategy: Draw a picture.
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Each cut takes 4 minutes → 5 × 4 =
✅ANSWER: 20 minutes
A number between 1 and 100: add 14, subtract 2, you get 19.
Work backwards strategy:
✅ ANSWER: 7
To crack the code, take the answers to problems 1 through 6 and line them up in order.
Look closely at each answer and take only the digit in the ones place from each of the six problems. Then, arrange those digits from least to greatest.
These digits will form the code for the keypad.
✅ANSWER 1: 30
✅ANSWER 2: 24
✅ANSWER 2: 7
✅ANSWER 2: 11
✅ANSWER 2: 20
✅ANSWER 2: 7
