Secret Codes and Magic Messages
Introduction
Have your child make secret codes and messages that will appear like magic while they practice writing letters and words.
Materials:
- Lemons (or lemon juice)
- Cotton swabs or a paint brush
- White sheets of paper
- Salt (optional)
- Crayons (optional)
- Heating pad (optional)
Directions:
- Adults only; slice a lemon in half. Have your Child squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl. This will act as the invisible ink.
- Have your child use a cotton swab or a paint brush to paint words and letters on the paper with the lemon juice. Start with the words dish and fish. Your child can also draw his name or the letters of the alphabet.
- When the paper is dry hold it up to sunlight or a light bulb. The heat will cause the lemon juice to darken and will reveal the secret message. You can also place a heating pad or hot water bottle on the paper to make the message appear.
- Another way to decode the message that does not involve a heat source is to put salt on the drying lemon juice. Let it sit for two minutes and then wipe the salt off of the paper. Have your child use a crayon to color over the invisible ink and the secret message will appear.
Take it further:
- Have your child make secret codes that they can use to solve and decode like the Super Readers. Have your child write out the entire alphabet on a sheet of paper. Underneath each letter have them make a number or symbol or a different letter. Those will act as the secret code. When your child has made codes for each letter have him pick words that he wants to paint in the invisible ink. Example, if your child wants the secret code for the word d-i-s-h have him find what letter, symbol or other letter that he has written under each letter in the word dish. Have him give the secret message to a friend or family member to decode. You can also make secret messages for your child to decode.
- Have your child paint Egyptian drawings like a pyramid and sphinx with the invisible ink. After they make the drawings appear have them write on the paper what each picture is with a pencil or crayon.
- Have your child paint -ish words: dish; wish; swish.
Talk about it:
- In the story Naila and the Magic Map, Naila has to figure out a secret message in order to find the Egyptian treasure that she was looking for. What has your child had to figure in order to accomplish a task or get something done? Was it learning to brush his teeth? Was it figuring out how to solve a puzzle? How about riding a bike or learning to swim? Talk about the things he has figured out how to do and how he did it. Discuss the things he would like to figure out how to do and ways to help him to do it.
