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Story-Driven STEAM Adventures for Schools, Libraries, and Community Programs
Reusable, program-grade STEAM learning experiences built for group exploration and repeated use.
Welcome to Barnwood Hall the home of Kit and Oak.
Join Kit, a curious fox, and Oak, a thoughtful toad, as they explore the grounds of Barnwood Hall and uncover mysteries hidden throughout their world.
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Each Barnwood Hall Mystery invites children - ages 5-9 - to read along, solve clues, and jump into hands-on experiments and activities inspired by the story. Along the way, young explorers document discoveries, test ideas, and earn keepsakes to add to their Junior Naturalist Notebook.
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Barnwood Hall Mysteries are designed for classrooms, libraries, homeschool co-ops, and out-of-school time programs — supporting both guided group learning and flexible implementation across multiple learners. No specialized training required.
Built for Homes vs. Built for Programs
Barnwood Hall Mysteries are available in multiple formats designed for different learning environments.
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Home Adventures
​Home Adventures are created for individual families learning at home.
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Institutional X-Pedition Chests
​Institutional X-Pedition Chests are designed specifically for schools, libraries, homeschool co-ops, and community programs — with durable materials, expanded components, and configurations that support multiple learners, repeated use, and program-wide implementation.
While both formats share the same story-driven foundation, Institutional X-Pedition Chests are built for scale, sustainability, and group learning.
Inside Every X-Pedition Chest
Each Barnwood Hall Mystery Institutional X-Pedition Chest is a complete STEAM program — combining storytelling, science exploration, and hands-on discovery in one durable, reusable kit.
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A Complete STEAM Program in Every Kit
Each X-Pedition Chest contains everything young explorers need to dive into a new mystery with Kit and Oak. From the illustrated storybook to hands-on experiments and creative activities, every box is designed to guide children through an immersive STEAM experience from start to finish.
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Multiple illustrated easy readers
Hands-on STEAM experiments and challenges
Reusable Junior Naturalist Field Journal pages
All materials and tools included — except for common household supplies like pencils or tape.
Creative activities that extend the story beyond the page
Designed for repeated use across groups and sessions
Optional replenishment support may be available for consumable materials.
Designed by Educators
Barnwood Hall Mysteries are designed by former classroom teachers and informal educators with hands-on experience in schools, libraries, and community learning environments. Each mystery is intentionally built around inquiry-based learning and aligned with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS), supporting real-world implementation and meaningful educational outcomes.
Getting Started at Barnwood Hall
A few helpful details to get your young explorer set up for success before beginning their first adventure at Barnwood Hall.
Set Up Your Junior Naturalist
Learners builds their own Case Files to document clues, experiments, and discoveries from every adventure.
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A one-time $15 Junior Naturalist Program kit helps get adventurers set up for success with materials designed to be used across multiple mysteries.
Solve, Explore & Discover
Follow along with the story, complete hands-on STEAM challenges, and add each solved mystery to your growing Case Files.
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Every adventure builds confidence, curiosity, and problem-solving skills — no prior experience required.
Choose Any Adventure
Each Barnwood Hall Mystery is fully self-contained, so programs or groups can jump in anywhere and explore in any order.
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Prefer to start at the beginning of the story?
Begin with Kit and Oak and the Nibsy Napper, where Oak first meets Kit and the mysteries of Barnwood Hall begin.
What Is the Junior Naturalist Program?
The Junior Naturalist Program invites kids to join Kit and Oak as they complete a Case File from the Junior Naturalist Field Journal with each X-Pedition Chest.
As young explorers work through the story, experiments, and challenges, they document observations, record clues, and track discoveries — building a growing collection of solved mysteries and hands-on learning experiences.
Each Case File becomes a record of their adventure and a keepsake of their learning journey.
Three Simple Steps
Getting started with Barnwood Hall Mysteries is easy!
Choose Your Mystery
Select from our collecting of engaging STEAM Mystery Adventures
Set-Up Your Program
​Prepare materials for classroom, library, or group use.
Solve, Explore & Discover
Follow along with the story, complete hands-on experiments, challenges, and activities and unlock the mystery.
