Spy Gadgets for Kids to Make
- A code takes a piece of information and represents it another way, like a secret language. Ciphers scramble a message, requiring the other agent to have a key to decipher the encoded message.
Whistle signals were a code developed for use by the Girl Guides (British version of Girl Scouts) during World War I. Girls between the ages of 14 and 18 used these signals to pass secret messages for MI-5, Britain's counterintelligence agency. One long whistle blast is the code for "silence," "alert" or "listen for the next signal." A succession of long slow blasts means "go out," "get farther away," "advance" or "scatter." Alternating short and long blasts is code for "alarm," "look out," "be ready" or "man your post." A succession of quick short blast means "rally," "close in" or "come together."
The Caesar Shift Cipher is a simple alphabet cipher that was used by Julius to communicate with his generals. The key to this cipher is an agreed upon number, say seven, write out all 26 letters of the alphabet, then underneath write them again shifted over seven letters so that each letter is paired, G becomes A, O becomes I and A becomes U and so on. So "Meet me at the pool" would become "Gyyn gy un nby jiid"
The code stick involves both agents having a stick of the same size. A quick trip to a home improvement store can result in several sized dowels. Spray paint the dowels different colors. This becomes part of the code. Cut the dowels so they are about twelve inches long. For this example, assume both agents have a piece of the green quarter-inch dowel. The message is encoded by cutting a strip of paper and wrapping it around the dowel in a spiral so that the paper does not overlap. The message is written on the strip of paper. The decoder must have the same size stick to determine what the message was.
A rubber band is a great gadget for passing a secret message. Stretch the rubber band as far as it will go. Write the message. Let go of the rubber band and the message becomes unreadable.
A cipher wheel is another handy gadget to make. Using a pair of compasses, cut four circles out of cart stock, two large and two small, for example two 5-inch and two f4-inch diameters. Place the small circle on the large circle and punch a hole with a butterfly stud. Each pair should rotate easily. A circle is 360 degrees and there are twenty-six letters in the alphabet so space the segments are approximately 14 degrees. Mark off the segments as accurately as you can on all four circles. Write the alphabet around the outside of the large circle in normal alphabetical order. For the smaller circles, mark the letters in random order but each circle in the same way. The code sequence begins with the two letter combination that shows the position of the wheels, AP or AX for example The only person who can read the message is the person with the other encryptor. - Josephine Baker was a World War II entertainer who used her celebrity status as a dancer and singer to hide her covert operations as a spy for for the French Resistance. She often wrote secret information in disappearing ink on her sheet music to pass unsuspected through customs.
Anything that is clear or almost clear and organic can be used to make a heat-activated secret ink. Lemon juice, egg whites, onion juice or milk are examples of liquids that can be used. Write your secret message going north to south on your letter. Watch it disappear as it dries. Now write a "cover" letter going east to west over the secret message. Have an agreed upon code word to let your contact know their is a secret message to look for. If your letter mentions your dog, and you really own a cat, then your contact know to light a match and hold it near the paper. Be very careful not to burn yourself or the paper. The secret ink will burn, revealing the hidden message. - A dead drop is an agreed upon location where a message can be left by one secret agent and picked up by another agent whereas the pass is when one agent physically passes the message to another agent without getting caught.
Create your own dead drop in the library by making a book safe and leaving it on a library shelf. As long as both agents know the title of the book your dead drop is fairly safe. At least until the librarians start to get rid of old books to create space for new inventory.
Every kid seems to have a box in their room where the keep odds and ends like rocks, marbles or crayons. But with a few simple adjustments, you can make this box into a super secret gadget for storing messages and even passing them along. Whitman's Chocolate boxes work particularly well, although any box will do. Use a piece of card-stock that is the same color as the inside of the box. Cut the card-stock so it fits exactly into the bottom of the box making a fake bottom. Now you have a place to hide your messages.
Carefully tape an envelope inside a large manila envelope. Place the secret message in the envelope and place class notes or some other "cover' papers inside. Give the manila envelope to your contact; no one will know there is a secret message hidden inside.
A great gadget for girls is a lipstick container. Get rid of the old lipstick and wash the tube thoroughly. Hide a message inside the lipstick tube. It's an easy way to pass a message in plain sight.