Secret Agent Week
We’re reading our latest OwlCrate Jr delivery, and I think we’re going to focus our “fun stuff” for the next couple of weeks on spy and mystery books, obstacle courses, logic and brain games.
Books
Both City Spies and Spy School are middle grade level books - they might be too intense for younger elementary school kids. We’ll also be reading From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler, and The Good Thieves. We’ll be using a LitWits kit for language arts work to go along with The Mixed Up Files. You can get a free LitWits kit by using the code READFORFUN.
Good picks for the younger set are the Inspector Flytrap series, the Geronimo Stilton series and The Great Journey. There are also lots of old school mystery classics like Encylcopedia Brown, Nancy Drew and The Hardy Boys. My friend Casey, also recommends, Spy Guy, which looks like a great fit for this age group.
Looking to incorporate some secret codes and logic?
Cat Crimes…
Games
Cat Crimes and Dog Crimes can be played as single player games or cooperatively. Use logic to figure out where each suspect was at the time of the crime.
Work together to figure out which fox is the culprit by eliminating clues.
In this math game, use your mental math skills to create stacks of $100 and steal cards from other players.
Clue
The classic mystery board game. I tried to find a link, but they have now expanded the game into so many specialty clue games that it’s hard to find the original. We like the original and also have enjoyed Harry Potter Clue.
Finding the hidden story in The Great Journey.
Imaginative Play
Gather your at-home spy supplies (sunglasses, flashlights/headlamps, costume disguises, felt masks, fake jewels, magnifying glasses, mini microscopes etc.) If you are looking for something to purchase this Jewel Thief Bundle is good for older kids - the jewel is big and glass and sharp, but my kids love having such a big, sparkly ‘gem’ for imaginative play. We’re going to use this Operation Incognito pattern and the felt we have at home to make some extra disguise props.
This is a link to a birthday party - but scroll through half the post to see the ‘laser maze’. We used leftover birthday streamers at our house, but yarn would work too. For the record this was good for 2+ hours of play. Part of the way through they wanted me to send them on missions through the ‘lasers’ to retrieve various things.
Secret Agent PE - here’s our schedule:
Monday: Strength Training (push-ups, sit-ups, supermans)/ Tuesday: Endurance Training (running!)/ Wednesday: Sneaking Training (obstacle courses, moving silently, crawling on our belies)/ Thursday: Self defense (karate)/ Friday: Secret Handoffs (practicing our stealth skills/magic tricks)
Fingerprinting
Video Clip: Why Your Fingerprints are Unique
Create-Your-Own Secret Code and Other Spy Related Activities
Honest History has put out some fun free activity pages for kids and four of them are pertinent to spy week: print pages 21-24 and you’ll get instructions for hiding a message inside an egg, a create your own code worksheet, a recipe for invisible ink, and a mad-libs style silly secret agent form.
Invisible Ink
The Honest History link above has an invisible ink recipe using artichokes, here is a recipe using turmeric that looks fun too — and it’s an easy backdoor into talking about acids and bases.
Movies and Shows
We are definitely using screens more than we usually do over here — thankfully there are lots of great mystery/spy/thief movies and programs if you want to continue the theme into your down time. Since the two Carmen Sandiego programs are from different vantage points we’re using the two as jumping off points to talk about perspective in writing, character development, and how there is usually more than one side to a story. There is even an interactive Carmen Sandiego- To Steal or Not to Steal episode - so definitely check that out.
Where on Earth is Carmen Sandiego (Amazon)
Carmen Sandiego (Netflix)
The Great Muppet Caper (Amazon)
The Incredibles, The Incredibles 2 (Amazon)