The thing about taking creative kids into a giant corn maze: you never know when someone will break into character, invent a villain, and start delivering monologues in the middle of the stalks.
When we arrived at Sleepy Hollow Farm in Powder Springs, GA, the kids sprinted out of the van and into the corn maze, shouting, laughing, and getting turned around within minutes. The stalks were tall enough to block all views, which made every sound feel exaggerated and dramatic.
So I pulled out my phone and recorded a few clips.
Instantly, the kids turned this into a full production. Someone volunteered to be the narrator. Someone else claimed they were “clearly the main character.” One person insisted we needed a villain, and although I couldn’t find anyone wearing the boots I wanted for the wolf role, we improvised… and it worked.
In between getting mildly lost, the kids:
- invented characters
- acted out chase scenes
- delivered dramatic whispers and warnings
- paused to renegotiate the plot
- asked me to “film that again but from a different angle”
By the time we finally made it out, we had the raw footage for a short Lighthouse mystery film.
And honestly? I couldn’t help myself.
I spent the rest of the afternoon stitching clips together — trimming the chase scenes, lining up the whispers and choosing the angles the kids specifically asked for (“no, no, use the one where I looked mysterious”).
A few transitions, a dramatic cut or two, and suddenly… we had a real little movie.
Here’s what we made: