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Science Launch G4 / Week 08 / Launch Lab
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Week 08 · Secret Codes

Launch Lab

Launch Lab: Family code
// Patterns that carry information
⏱ about 15 min

Launch Lab: Family code

Rocket and Raven sit at the dining table with paper, a flashlight and a wooden spoon.

"Morse code is great," Rocket says. "But let's invent our own code. A family code!"

Raven writes three secret meanings on a card: come here, I am hungry and good night. "What do you notice we need first?"

Nova hovers, her eyes twinkling. "My hint," she says. "Everyone must agree on the patterns before you send."

  1. Patterns of sound or light can carry information.
  2. Morse code uses dots and dashes. A dash lasts as long as three dots.
  3. A picture can be sent as a grid of 1s and 0s.
  4. Phones and computers send information as digital number patterns.
  5. Braille uses raised dots in a six dot cell, read by touch.
  6. Testing shows which way of sending works best.
◇ FAMILY CODE
Choose three short messages your family uses often.
Invent a tap or flash pattern for each one. Write them on a code card.
Take turns sending a message from another room.
Check if the receiver decoded it correctly.
For a grown-up
Ask: What did you notice? What would you change?
Ask which patterns were easy to mix up, and how you could make them more different.
LAUNCH LAB CHECK
  • Read the question.
  • Tap your answer.
Why must everyone agree on the code first?
Two of your patterns got mixed up. What is a good fix?
In Morse code, a dash lasts as long as ____ dots.
In our picture code, 1 stands for a ____ pixel.
Decode: . . . - - - . . .
WHY THIS EXERCISEThree dots, three dashes, three dots spells S O S.

Week 8 complete! Next week we switch to living things and their amazing body parts.

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