Stick Word Grid

This puzzle arranges the letters of a message in a grid. The words read, naturally enough,¹ from left to right. However, the grid is written on sticks or other skinny objects oriented vertically so the message can only be read when the items reform the grid.

The puzzle starts with the players finding a collection of sticks with letters on them. They may all be provided together or, for an added challenge, distributed among multiple boxes to keep the players guessing when they have them all. Unarranged, the sticks look like a hodgepodge of letters.

In the easiest form of this puzzle, at the top of each stick is a highlighted letter that is used as a key to arrange the sticks in the appropriate order. The word can be anything recognizable, but it is helpful to have it related to the objects being used or the location they are found.

With the sticks in the correct order, the letters can be read tor form words: LOOK UNDER CHAIRS.

For a bit of an extra challenge, you can leave out the key word at the top. Players should still be able to arrange the sticks to form the actual words.

To make this puzzle really challenging, have the sticks arranged unevenly. Provide a clue that suggests a sequence of letters (each uniquely listed). The players have to find not only the order but also the vertical positions. In this example, a separate clue gives a sequence of elements (Vanadium, Indium, Carbon, Iodine, and Cobalt). With the help of a periodic table, these element symbols (V, In, C, I, Co) are found on these sticks and lined.

Now in the proper orientation, the letters of these elemental symbols form a message.