{"id":112,"date":"2022-02-18T13:29:34","date_gmt":"2022-02-18T13:29:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dadstuffsite.com\/?p=112"},"modified":"2023-02-19T13:27:39","modified_gmt":"2023-02-19T13:27:39","slug":"beginner-secret-codes-and-ciphers-for-kids-the-pigpen-cipher","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dadstuffsite.com\/beginner-secret-codes-and-ciphers-for-kids-the-pigpen-cipher\/","title":{"rendered":"The Pigpen Cipher (What it Is and How to Teach Your Kids)"},"content":{"rendered":"
As my two boys get older, my wife and I have been able to enjoy family movie nights more and more. It\u2019s been fun to finally expand beyond Ninjago, Pok\u00e9mon, and the classic Disney movie canon (not that there\u2019s anything wrong with any of those, but let\u2019s be honest, there are only so many times you can watch Lego Batman). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
I\u2019ve been working hard this past year giving my children a proper education\u2014introducing them to some great classic movies like Indiana Jones, the Goonies, and (does this count as classic?) National Treasure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
As I\u2019m watching these movies, I can\u2019t help but remember how much I wanted to go on my own treasure adventure when I was a kid. It got me thinking. How can I find a way to give my kids a fun adventure in a classic Dad Stuff way? An adventure that inspires my kids, gets their imaginations running, and is fun for me too. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
My epic deep dive has led me down some rabbit holes, one of them leading me to the pigpen cipher. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pigpen cipher is a simple substitution cipher in which letters of an original message (plaintext) are substituted by geometric symbols creating a coded message (ciphertext). <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The pigpen cipher gets its name because letters of the alphabet are separated like pigs in a pen using checkerboard and X patterns. Fragments of the checkerboard and X patterns then replace the letters of the original message. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to try another cipher that\u2019s simpler for younger kids, check out <\/em>The Scytale Cipher (What It Is and How to Teach Your Kids)<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The pigpen cipher has a long history. Some historians argue the Knights Templar used the pigpen cipher during the Crusades almost a century ago. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Freemasons used the pigpen cipher so often some call it the Freemasons\u2019 cipher. Some earlier members even claimed the Freemasons invented the pigpen cipher. To this day, engravings of the pigpen cipher can be found on the tombstones of some Freemasons. <\/p>\n\n\n George Washington\u2019s army had used a more randomized version of the pigpen cipher. There is evidence that suggests Union prisoners in Confederate prisons used the pigpen cipher during the American Civil War. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The pigpen cipher is a simple monoalphabetic substitution cipher, in that one letter is replaced by one symbol, so it can be quite easy to break. While professional cryptographers don’t use it today, it’s a fun cipher to do with your kids. Especially because it looks like something created by an alien.<\/p>\n\n\n\nHistory of the Pigpen Cipher<\/h3>\n\n\n\n