Ready for your next Virtual Instant Challenge? For this Instant Challenge, you’ll need to use a specific set of materials to complete as many words as possible for friends, family or team members to decipher. As always, you may modify the materials based on what you have on hand!
Challenge: Create as many complete words as possible using the materials below for friends and family to decipher.
Procedure: Using only the materials listed below, create as many words as possible. You may use the materials to either spell out the words or create pictures for the words. You may only use the materials once when creating your words. After creating the words, snap photos of the “words” you created. Once you have lots of words, put the photos in order to form a sentence. Text the photos to a friend or family member and see if they can decipher the sentence.
Challenge others (friends, brothers and sisters, your grandma in another state) to use the same materials to create words so you can exchange “coded” messages. Who can make the longest coded message using the materials? Who can break the code the fastest?
Materials: 4 pencils, 6 paper clips, 4 rubber bands, 6 straws, 4 forks, 4 craft sticks, 6 inches of masking tape, 6 inches of string, 12 in of foil, 4 crayons, 3 chenille stems, 1 cardboard tube, 1 ruler
*Materials may be modified based on what you have available at home
Scoring:
A. 5 points (40 points maximum) for each word you can create
B. 10 points if all of your words can be used in one sentence
C. 5 points (40 points maximum) for each word that can be deciphered
D. Up to 10 points for how creatively you use the materials.
Reflection Questions:
- Which were the best materials for creating words?
- Which was easier? Creating the words or putting them into a sentence?
- How was deciphering the sentences different from making the sentences?
- How did creating the words make deciphering the words easier or more difficult?
Click here to download a PDF version of our Crack the Code Virtual Instant Challenge.
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