This can be confusing at first! It takes practice to be a fast decoder.
#How to encode a message i a picture code#
Find it in the bottom row of your code sheet, then find the letter it corresponds to in the top row of your code sheet and write it above the encoded letter. Look at the first letter in the coded message.
To decode a message, you do the process in reverse. In this example the first letter is "I," and the one below it is "B." Continue encoding the rest of the letters in the message. Then look for the letter on the line in the bottom row of your code and write it on a new piece of paper. Now you're ready to encode it! Look at the first letter in your message, and find it in the top row of your code sheet. Decide what your message is going to say and write it on a piece of paper. Using different colors for the regular and "rotated" alphabet can help you remember which is which. Hint: Drawing vertical lines between each letter pair can help you see which letters are paired together. When you get to "Z," go to the beginning of the alphabet line above this one and continue filling in letters until you've rewritten the entire alphabet. Under your first line, starting at the letter you "rotated" to, rewrite the alphabet. Count this many letters into the alphabet. Choose a number to be your "rotation" amount. Have your child follow these easy steps to use the Caesar Cipher. Every letter in your child's message is replaced with the letter that comes a certain number of places later in the alphabet. Will he write his message on normal paper or across pieces of a puzzle? Is his message going to be put in a normal envelope and mailed or does it need to fit inside a tiny secret compartment?Īlso known as the shift cipher, the Caesar Cipher is one of the simplest and most widely known encryption techniques. For example, writing with a big black marker is not as secretive as invisible ink. When your child is gathering his tools and materials, ask him to think about how secretive he wants his message to be.
Encourage your child to become a cipher with these steps and materials. "Ciphers" are ways of encoding and decoding information that use a series of very precise instructions.
#How to encode a message i a picture how to#
Cryptography is the name for encoding and decoding information – that is, changing it somehow, to prevent others from reading it, and figuring out how to change it back into a message you can understand. Whether your child is a spy-in-training - trying to keep his or her journal from falling into the wrong hands, or wanting to keep a surprise a surprise - cryptography is a useful skill to have.