Mystery boxes
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The oldest trick in the online classroom, and still the best one: a grid of numbered boxes, and one of them has a star. A child picks a number, the box shakes itself open, and out comes a word to say — or the star everybody has been hoping for. Choose six, nine or twelve boxes, one to three stars, and any topic you like. When the last star is found the whole class gets a small celebration, and a new round is one tap away.
- Age
- Ages 3–11
- Format
- Online tool
Tap any box to deal a new round.
How teachers use it
- Hide the star behind the words you are drilling — every guess is one more repetition.
- Give the shy child the first pick: choosing a number is easier than answering.
- Save it for the last five minutes — find every star before the lesson ends.
Questions teachers ask
What is inside the boxes?
Words from the topic you choose — a picture and the English word, read aloud when you tap it — plus one to three stars hidden at random among them.
Can I use my own words?
Yes. Open it from the word builder with your own list and the boxes fill with your words. If you have fewer words than boxes, the grid shrinks to fit them.
What if the page reloads in the middle of a round?
The boxes you have already opened stay open — a round survives an accidental refresh, so nobody loses the star they just found.
All of them on one screen
Need the timer, the name picker and the quiet meter at the same time? The Classroom Screen puts every widget on one full-screen dashboard.
More classroom tools
Spinner wheel
Write anything on it — names, numbers, questions — and give it a spin.
Online dice roller
One, two or three big dice, numbered 1–3, 1–6 or 1–10 — with the total added up for you.
Team scoreboard
Two to four teams, big buttons, numbers the back row can read.
Games that go with it
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