Spell your name in semaphore flags
Thirty minutes, two paper flags and a printed chart. Learn how the letters are grouped, then spell your names across the yard.
- Time
- 40 min
- Cost
- $0
- Ages
- 7 and up
- Where
- A big room or yard
Since 1911: The letter positions are a game now, not a way to call for help. In an emergency outdoors, stay put, call 911 if you can, and signal with a whistle (three blasts, pause, repeat) or a flashlight.
What you need
- A printed semaphore chart (the 1911 book's diagram on p. 207 is free online)
- Two flags: a dish towel or square of paper taped to a cardboard tube
- Paper and pencil to write down what you read
Before you start
- Soft flags only. Use cloth or paper on a cardboard tube, not a stick. Arms swing wide, and eyes are easy to poke.
- Clear the space around the sender so arms can swing without hitting anything or anyone.
Steps
- Print the chart. Print a semaphore chart, such as the diagram on page 207 of the free book.
- Learn the groups. A–G: one arm moves round the circle. H–N: right arm at A. O–S: right arm at B.
- Practice the first letters. Dad calls a letter; the kid makes it with the flags.
- Send a name. Face the reader and spell a name, holding each letter still.
- Ask for a repeat. If a word makes no sense, raise both arms straight out to ask for a repeat.
- Swap places. Swap roles and send whole words.
If it stalls
- If the reader keeps missing letters, the sender is probably moving too fast. Hold each position for a full breath.
- Letters mirror left and right. Remember the sender and the reader see the flags from opposite sides.
Letters read correctly
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date