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SeaConquest
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oh, thank you for your post :)

At the moment ds is reading a few articles from different encyclopedias and The Usborne book of Secret codes for his project about history of communications. The next project my husband wants to give him particularly about the cryptology and I was just about to start looking for something else and I think i might try your first choice. It looks good :hurray:

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I am not able to link right now but google Bletchley Park - MEP code/ cryptography materials (Free!). Might be too soon for S or maybe not...there was some material over kiddo's head at 7 but then some of it was too easy a year+ later.

 

Top Secret is fine as is Martin Gardner's. DS used those quite early. CryptoClub was doable too (at least the first half, can't remember if DS finished it).

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We really enjoyed the CrytoClub book. All our kids enjoyed the earlier sections on various historical codes. In the later sections it gets into how prime numbers are used in codes, so there's a lot of prime factorization. I like that part as a supplement before pre-algebra. I felt like their explanation of working in other bases was easy to understand.

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We've done quite a bit of cryptography, but never in a systematic way, unfortunately. We own Gadner's Codes, Ciphers and Secret Writing, and I keep going back to it... I really like that book. I've even used chunks for some of the most popular math circle meets I've done. Not sure a kid would sit an do it on their own, though.

We've also had the Top Secret out of the library once a long time ago, and I remember it was good, but I didn't get it out again, so it couldn't have been great. Can you get any of these at the library?

Codes are a great way to work on multiple subjects, as they are so many historical codes that simply WANT to be part of a history lesson! We live near an area that was known to have a code training division during WWII, so when we worked on frequency analysis, we discussed that history of that office and also the ethics of code breaking.

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When I was about 8 I devoured and implemented a book called "Codes and Secret Writing" by Herbert S. Zim.

It was pretty comprehensive at a grammar school or middle school level.

I imagine that the more modern resources discuss some techniques that are newer, but that book, I think, would still be a good introduction.

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Adding to the above (several of which we've used): the Murderous Maths codes book--http://www.murderousmaths.co.uk/books/bkmm12.htm

 

There's also Simon Singh's The Code Book, which was well-loved by one of mine around age 7 or 8.

http://www.amazon.ca/The-Code-Book-Science-Cryptography/dp/0385495323

 

Edited to add link.

Edited by Emerald Stoker
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I was thinking of getting Sacha some cryptography books, but I am wondering what level of math he would need to enjoy them. He is currently in BA 3C. I looked at the Cryptoclub book that CTY uses, and it is pricey. Is it worth it? Any other recommendations?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Cryptoclub-Using-Mathematics-Break-Secret/dp/156881223X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1453499509&sr=1-1&keywords=cryptoclub

 

There are few other less expensive ones, but I am not sure if they are fun/appropriate?

 

http://www.amazon.com/Break-Code-Cryptography-Beginners-Childrens/dp/0486291464/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1453499405&sr=8-4&keywords=cryptography

 

http://www.amazon.com/Ciphers-Secret-Writing-Childrens-Activity/dp/0486247619/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=51SRUr2VyKL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR104%2C160_&refRID=0JSCHN7HGEZ71WXNAG0Q

 

http://www.amazon.com/Top-Secret-Handbook-Ciphers-Writing/dp/0763629723/ref=pd_sim_14_2?ie=UTF8&dpID=514PY6C4NCL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR127%2C160_&refRID=1ERH1KDFH57PSHB585WH

With Arcadia's link to the workbook I gave Alex the Cryptoclub book for math this week. And just a little happy me dance here, because I got an.entire.week. of math happiness where I lay on the sofa during math time researching more ideas, lol. AND she got up quietly and worked on it in her room and his morning so mom and dad actually got to sleep past 7 am! So much fun.

As far as the math goes, I think there may be some new stuff he may or may not have seen, depending on how much you guys play with outside of your math spine. For example, prime factorization...but as long as he is solid on multiplication I think the chapter teaching it is pretty solid. We have been doing them for a long time for 'fun' so my memory may be skewed, but everything in there is taught as you go!

I just ordered a couple more books so we shall see:)

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With Arcadia's link to the workbook I gave Alex the Cryptoclub book for math this week. And just a little happy me dance here, because I got an.entire.week. of math happiness where I lay on the sofa during math time researching more ideas, lol. AND she got up quietly and worked on it in her room and his morning so mom and dad actually got to sleep past 7 am! So much fun.

As far as the math goes, I think there may be some new stuff he may or may not have seen, depending on how much you guys play with outside of your math spine. For example, prime factorization...but as long as he is solid on multiplication I think the chapter teaching it is pretty solid. We have been doing them for a long time for 'fun' so my memory may be skewed, but everything in there is taught as you go!

I just ordered a couple more books so we shall see:)

 

Thanks for this. I still have the book sitting in my cart -- waiting for payday! We have the game Prime Climb, but haven't really done anything else. We will see how it goes. What else did you order? 

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Thanks for this. I still have the book sitting in my cart -- waiting for payday! We have the game Prime Climb, but haven't really done anything else. We will see how it goes. What else did you order?

I bought Top Secret, the Martin Gardiner book, and one called Cryptanalysis.

 

You can totally get started with the workbook just to tantalize him. The problems are the same, the book just has text to go with it. The introduction is just alphabet shifts.

If you haven't done it, one of my favorite days with Alex was when we introduced primes with a free activity sheet from Mathgoodies on the Sieve of Erasthenes. Super fun and really teaches them well. Since we are goofy like that, we made up a song to memorize primes through 99:)

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