Navajo Code Talkers and Morse Code

All month long we have been discussing Spy Codes and trying out Spy Gear.  These spy-savvy kids have gotten really good at deciphering codes, and even making up their own codes.  So clever!

This week, we learned about the Navajo Code Talkers dictionary that was so complex that expert code breakers could never decipher it.  During WWII, The Japanese managed to intercept messages from the U.S. Army and the Air Corps, but they were never able to figure out what the Marines were telling one another.  Were it not for the Navajos, the Marines would never had taken Iwo Jima.

We found it interesting to learn that the Navajo Code Talkers were so valuable, that each one was assigned their own personal Marine to guard them, to keep them alive and prevent capture.

In studying the Navajo Code Talkers dictionary, we giggled at the literal translations.   Here are some of our favorites:
Dive Bomber = Chicken Hawk
Bomb     = Eggs
Grenade = Potatoes
Tank      = Tortoise
Sniper    = Pick 'em off
Scout     = Short Raccoon
Submarine = Iron Fish
America = Our Mother

The next code we learned about was Morse Code.  Each kid was handed a rice crispy "bomb" that contained a secret morse message hidden inside.  We had to nibble and munch to get to it.  While we nibbled, Teacher Melissa shared a fun fact about Morse letter "V" ( ...- ).  Officers played Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to rally troops on D-Day.  The opening notes create the "dit dit dit dat" that represented "V" for "Victory"