Famous Spies in History

As a Waldorf persion, I always love to add stories into my lessons wherever possible, so I appreciate that Jim Wiese included some real-life spies throughout history in his book of science experiments, Spy Science: 40 Secret-Sleuthing, Code-Cracking, Spy-Catching Activities for Kids.

I'm going to make note here of the real-life connections, so that I can have appropriate history/biography information on hand for different activities.

All My Notes from Teaching
Spy Science in Science Club!

Okay, here goes:
Chapter One

Project 1: Covers
Lia de Beaumont / Charles d'Éon de Beaumont
(1750s, spying on Russia for France)

Robert Baden-Powell
(WWI)


Project 2: Legends

Lafayette Baker
(Civil War)

James Rivington & Robert Townsend
(Rev War)

Chapter Two

Project 1: Quick Thinking
Giovanni Giacomo Casanova
(1750s, spying on England for France)


Project 3: Trash Treasures

Mikhail Gorin
(1930s, spying on Japan for Soviet Union)


Project 6: Mapping


Project 7: Mock Compass


Project 9: Watch the Birdie


Project 10: Hiding Places


Project 11: Gotcha!


Project 12: Hairy Situation

Park Chae-so: The Wily Spy Who Risked His Life to Meet North Korea’s Secretive Leader
The New York Times - Sep 27, 2024

Chapter Three

Project 1: Seeing Around Corners


Project 3: Seeing It All


Project 4: Seeing It Bigger


Project 5: Listening In

Lydia Darragh
(Rev War)


Project 9: Tricycle Tracker

Chapter Four

Project 1: Torn Dollars


Project 2: Passive Contacts

John Anthony Walker
(1960s-1980s, spying on U.S. for Soviet Union)


Project 3: Rubber Bands


Project 4: Small Secrets

Civil War


Project 9: Scytale

Spartan generals, 400 BCE


Project 10: Page Grills

Kryptos, copper sculpture at CIA headquarters

Chapter 5

Project 1: Words in the Way
Sir John Trevenion
(1640s, First English Civil War)

Quest for "Trevanion's Cipher"


Project 3: Caesar Cipher

How They Croaked: The Awful Ends of the Awfully Famous
by Georgia Bragg
"Julius Caesar" chapter

Johannes Trithemius, Abbot of Spanheim in Germany


Project 4: Cracking the Code

Commander Joseph Rochefort and E.T. Layton
(WWII)


Project 5: Symbols

Chester Nez and the Unbreakable Code: A Navajo Code Talker's Story
by Joseph Bruchac


Project 6: Morse Code

Samuel Morse, That's Who! The Story of the Telegraph and Morse Code
by Tracy Nelson Maurer

Morse Code Flashcards

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

More Resources!

Rev War

USKids History: Book of the American Revolution
Spy Stories, pp.36-39
British Spy: A Board Game, pp.40-41
Secret Messages, p.42

King George: What Was His Problem? Everything Your Schoolbooks Didn't Tell You About the American Revolution
by Steve Sheinkin
Benedict Arnold, James Lafayette

How They Choked: Failures, Flops, and Flaws of the Awfully Famous
by Georgia Bragg
"Benedict Arnold" chapter

A Spy Called James: The True Story of James Lafayette, Revolutionary War Double Agent
by Anne Rockwell

Civil War

Mr. Lincoln's High-Tech War: How the North Used the Telegraph, Railroads, Surveillance Balloons, Ironclads, High-Powered Weapons, and More to Win the Civil War
by Roger MacBride Allen

Dazzle Ships: World War I and the Art of Confusion
by Chris Barton

Cher Ami: Based on the World War I Legend of the Fearless Pigeon
by Mélisande Potter

WWI

Robert Baden-Powell wrote a book for children called "My Adventures as a Spy." It's important to look for a vintage edition, which includes the original illustrations, or read it free online at Project Gutenberg.

WWII

Josephine: The Dazzling Life of Josephine Baker
by Patricia Hruby Powell
it's nice to have sheet music handy for writing on with invisible ink!

This post contains affiliate links to materials I truly use for homeschooling. Qualifying purchases provide me with revenue. Thank you for your support!