SPIES, SPYING AND CIPHER

CODESYOUR FREE GOTROVO GUIDE TO SOME SERIOUS SECRET FUN!

Can you keep a secret? If so, you’re in the right place. This book is your free guide to the world of secret spies and codes! It’s been created for you to use with you fun GoTrovo Spy Pens.

Are you ready for some serious FUN?! Then come inside…. if you dare….!

Can you keep a secret?

If so, you’re in the right place. This book

is your free guide to the world of secret spies and

codes! It’s been created for you to use with your

fun GoTrovo Spy Pens.

Are you ready for some serious FUN?! Then

come inside…. if you dare….!

THE WORLD OF SECRET AGENTS AND SPIES!A spy is a person whose job is to find out top secret information. Spies gather this information without the permission from the owners. It’s a bit like stealing – but instead of taking a phone or money, spies steal information and knowledge. Once they have the information, they pass it on – or sometimes even sell it – to the people who need it most.

Spies have existed for thousands of years, for example in Ancient Egypt and in the Greek and Roman empires. Sometimes their spying was as simple as hiding behind curtains and listening to conversations, but it helped these cultures become leaders in the world.

From the 18th century, spying, or “espionage” as it was often called, became even more important. This was because the growth of Empires and Industry made the need for information greater than ever before.

In World War I, some countries, including the United States, created agencies specifically devoted to the collection of intelligence. In America, spies are often called “assets”. Most spies also have a special name, or number, as they don’t want to use their real names. The spy in the famous James Bond films was known as 007.

ALL ABOUT CODES AND CIPHERSTo protect the secrets that they gather, spies use special ways to write things down. These are called codes or ciphers. It’s a bit like writing in another language that no-one can understand. Imagine if you found a piece of paper with a message written in Ancient Greek. I’m guessing you couldn’t understand it. Well – that’s a bit like a code, or cipher. If they enemy finds the information that the spy has collected, they won’t be able to understand it – it will just look like nonsense because it is written in secret code! This protects the information, but it also protects the spy, as no-one can prove that they’ve stolen anything if they can’t understand it!

Ciphers became very important in World War II. Information about battle plans and instructions to commanders were transmitted in code from the German government to soldiers all over Europe. One of the main reasons that the Allies won the war was because they were able to BREAK the code used by the Germans, and figure out their plans. This amazing work was completed by British mathematicians at a place called Bletchley Park.

One of the most effective methods of spying is to go “undercover”. That means you pretend to be on the enemy’s team. Let’s say you wanted to spy on the Smith family and steal information from them. The best way to do this might be to pretend you are their long-lost cousin from Australia. You turn up at their house and stay with them for a few weeks, pretending to be their cousin….but really you’re spying on them UNDERCOVER!

Right, so now you know lots about spying, it’s time to get started! First, let’s practice cracking some codes, just like the mathematicians at Bletchley.

CAN YOU CRACK THESE CODES?

In the picture below you can see a number substitution cipher. This means that each letter of the alphabet is swapped for a number. Can you use the cipher to crack these messages?

Here’s an example of

how it works:

6-18-9-4-1-25 = FRIDAY

8-3-12-12-15 = HELLO

19-5-3-18-5-20 = SECRET

19-16- 25 = SPY

SO…WHAT DO EACH OF THESE MESSAGES SAY?

TIME TO GET CRACKING!

19-3-8-15-15-12 9-19 7-18-5-1-20

9 12-15-22-5 3-8-5-5-19-5

9-20-19 13-25 2-9-18-20-8-4-1-25

9 23-1-14-20 20-15 2-5 1 19-16-25

20-9-13-5 6-15-18 2-5-4

CIPHER WHEEL

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U

V W

X Y

Z 5

67

89

1011

12

131415161718

1920

2122

2324

25 26 1 2 3 4

CODE:

ANSWER:

CODE:

ANSWER:

CODE:

ANSWER:

CODE:

ANSWER:

CODE:

ANSWER:

YOUR SPY NAMEWhen you’re working as a spy, you’ll want a secret name, so that no-one knows who you really are. This is known as your spy name, or your CODE NAME. As we said before, James Bond’s code name was 007

What will your code name be? It could be anything. Here are some ideas:

Take the first letters of your first name and surname/family name, and add your age. So if your real name is Stephen Quinn, and you’re 9 years old, your code name would be SQ9

Think up one or two traits, or characteristics, that really describe you. So if you don’t get scared easily, and you’re a fast runner, you could invent a name around that. Maybe you could be Fearless Flight. Or maybe Bold Rapid. Or just choose one.

Maybe you’re part of a big spy organisation where everyone has a number, like 007. What will your number be? It could be anything that sounds good to you. You could even be “infinity”!

If you ask your parents, they might let you look online for a code name generator – there are lots of them, but remember to ask permission to access any online sites.

Some spies also have a logo or badge to represent themselves. What would your logo be? What do you want it to say about you? Think of some adjectives (describing words) to help you design a logo. What sort a spy would you be? Fearless; silent; curious; truth-seeker! There are lots of great things you could say about yourself!

Right, now you know about code names, you can use this page to figure out your own, and maybe even design your secret logo – and then keep your real name secret! You must only sign messages using your code name when you’re spying!

MY SPY NAME!

MY SPY LOGO!

NOTES FOR YOUR MUM, DAD OR CARERS!On the next page there are some fun notes you can write out using your invisible ink pens, to pass onto your grown ups. Remember they’ll need their own spy pen with a UV light to be able to read the invisible ink.

If you want to be super-secret and write the notes in code, you can copy out the encoded version on the right-hand side of the table. But remember to give your grown up a print out of the cipher so that they can decode the message.

First of all, let’s take a look at the cipher – it’s a simple Rotation code where you swap one letter for another.

Using this code, the letter A becomes N; and the letter N becomes A. You swap them for each other. So if you wanted to write HELLO, you’d swap the H for a U; and the E for an R, and so on. This is what it would look like:

Now for those messages to your parents: chose one to copy out, decide whether you want to write it in English using your invisible ink, or in Code, and off you go!

What other messages can YOU create using the

rotation cipher code?

Message Encoded VersionIT’S SNACK TIME! I NEED FOOD

NOW….PLEASE!

VG’F FANPX GVZR! V ARRQ SBBQ

ABJ….CYRNFR!

DANGER: THE ALIENS HAVE

LANDED. GET TO THE SAFE ZONE!

QNATRE: GUR NYVRAF UNIR

YNAQRQ. TRG GB GUR FNSR MBAR!

WARNING: MY BEDROOM IS A

TOTAL MESS!

JNEAVAT: ZL ORQEBBZ VF N GBGNY

ZRFF!

PLEASE NOTE: I ONLY WASH MY

HAIR ON WEEKENDS!

CYRNFR ABGR: V BAYL JNFU ZL

UNVE BA JRRXRAQF!

I HEARD THERE MAY BE

CHOCOLATE IN THE HOUSE… CAN

YOU CONFIRM THIS RUMOUR?

V URNEQ GURER ZNL OR

PUBPBYNGR VA GUR UBHFR….PNA

LBH PBASVEZ GUVS EHZBHE?

I’VE FINISHED MY HOMEWORK – I

PROMISE!

V’IR SVAVFURQ ZL UBZRJBEX – V

CEBZVFR!

THE DOG ATE MY HOMEWORK – CAN

YOU FIX IT FOR ME?

GUR QBT NGR ZL UBZRJBEX…PNA

LBH SVK VG SBE ZR?

I THOUGHT YOU SHOULD KNOW…

YOU’RE THE BEST MOM / DAD

EVER!!

V GUBHTUG LBH FUBHYQ XABJ…

LBH’ER GUR ORFG ZBZ / QNQ RIRE!

MAKE YOUR OWN CIPHER CODE USING THESE WHEELS!You can create YOUR OWN secret cipher code using these blank cipher wheels. Here’s what you need to do:

1) Print and cut out both wheels on the next page.

2) Stick the smaller wheel in the centre of the bigger wheel using some glue or tape, so that each segment aligns from the smaller wheel to the larger wheel, on a 1:1 basis.

3) On the larger wheel, write all 26 letters of the alphabet.

4)On the other wheel, create your “code”. This could be numbers 1 – 26; it could be the same 26 letters of the alphabet BUT with the order muddled up – so A becomes L, and B becomes F etc (there’s no right or wrong way – you can make it anything you like. Just make sure you only use each letter once.) You could even use symbols like triangles, lines, squiggles etc as your code. You can make it as hard or easy as you like.

5) Then you can write a message using your code. [HINT: you might find it easiest to write your message on a spare piece of paper in English – then use your own cipher code to translate this into code.] Make sure you give the cipher wheel to the person who receives your secret message, so that the can use it to decode your message!

6) If you want to get REALLY tricky, use a small paper fastener instead of glue to stick the two wheels together. That way, you can turn the inside wheel to CHANGE the code every time you use it! [HINT: you’ll need to give people a clue about how to break the code: for example give them the solution to ONE letter, and let them solve the rest!]

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CREATE A NOTE USING CUT OUT LETTERSIt can be fun to create a note using letters or words cut out from a newspaper or magazine. That way no one can recognise your handwriting and your note can be ANONYMOUS! It’s easy to do – just cut out the letters or words you want to use, and glue them onto a plain sheet of paper. (Remember to get an adult to help with scissors and glue.)

Here are some sets of letters that you can print as many times as you like to create a secret note.

Here’s an example of

the sort of note you can

create!

They’re really fun! Remember always to say kind things in the notes you create – saying unkind things in an anonymous note is a type of bullying, and can get you in serious trouble.

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Make learning fun by using invisible ink pens. If you have a reluctant reader, get them excited by leaving notes in invisible ink! Any reading counts, and the more they enjoy it the more comfortable and inspired they'll feel! Leave them around the house, on their pillow, even by the toilet! Just leave the note and a pen for them to shine the UV light and they'll soon get inspired!

You can also have LOADS of fun with maths. Write out your sums, and get your children to fill in the missing square. Check out our fab maths template below!

- =

- =

- =

- =

- =

x =

x =

x =

x =

x =

+ =

+ =

+ =

+ =

+ =

− =

− =

− =

− =

− =

CAN YOU CRACK THESE SUMS

FOR PARENTS

GoTrovoTreasue

CUSTOMER CAREThanks very much for buying GoTrovo’s Invisible Ink Pens. Your custom really does mean the world to us and we want to make sure you’re completely satisfied with your purchase.

We’re here to help if you need us for anything: info@gotrovotreasurehunt.com

Jo and Aley x