Codes for the Road
Directions:
Do your children like secret messages? If so, they can create their own secret codes using the symbols on a road map.
Have your kids start by writing the alphabet down the left side of a page in a single column. Then have them scour a road map and look for symbols to use as replacements for letters. Their selection could be random, or they could try to find symbols to match the letters. For example, an ^ could be used for A, @ for P, * for S, & for E, and $ for I. Have your kids write the code substitutions to the right of each letter of the alphabet. Once your children have their secret code established, they can write each other cryptic messages.
It's easy to adjust the activity to the age of your children by varying the difficulty of the codes. For beginning readers, you might want to substitute just a letter or two. Older kids may want to try substitutions for the whole alphabet! "*oh—k0^gr@—t t()mO, k @d*!"
© 2005 by Steve and Ruth Bennett. Excerpted from 365 Unplugged Family Fun Activities with permission of its publisher, Perseus Books Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
To order this book visit perseusbooksgroup.com.
