The pig pen cypher is a secret way of writing traced back to the 1500s. It has been used by religious groups, countries, armies, and spies! It is a simple substitution cypher that uses geometry, and exchanges letters for symbols which are fragments of a grid. It can be set up in different ways, but the most common example is this:

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Materials:

- Pencil

- Paper

- Pig Pen Cypher

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Procedure:

1. Look at this example of how to use the cypher.

You find the shape in the pig pen cypher then use the letter inside the shape.

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2. Now, try figuring out the message is below:

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3. Now that you know how the pig pen cypher works, try writing a secret message of your own! Can other people figure it out?

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