Project Guide · Computing & Electronics
Cipher Wheels
Assemble a rotating cipher wheel and use an agreed shift to encode and decode secret messages.
What You Will Create
A flexible, hands-on build.
Assemble a rotating cipher wheel and use an agreed shift to encode and decode secret messages. The guide can be adapted for families, classrooms, clubs, or drop-in learning spaces.
Computing & Electronics · Flexible group size · Easy to extend
Project Media
See the project take shape.
Project photo and video coming soon
Get Ready
Supplies and preparation
Supplies
Gather these materials
- Cipher wheel templates
- Cardstock
- Brass fasteners
- Markers
- Scissors
- Pencils and paper
Preparation
Before participants begin
Print matched inner and outer wheel templates on cardstock. Prepare a short sample message and its completed encoding.
Supervise cutting and help younger participants secure brass fastener ends flat against the back.
Build Guide
Follow the steps
Test as you build. Small revisions are part of the process and help participants understand why the final design works.
1. Plan and prepare
Cut out both wheel circles carefully and mark their centers.
2. Build the foundation
Place the smaller wheel on the larger wheel and join them with a brass fastener.
3. Add the main feature
Choose a key by aligning one letter on the outer ring with a different letter on the inner ring.
4. Test and adjust
Write a short message and replace each original letter with its matching encoded letter.
5. Finish and reflect
Share the key separately, then have a partner rotate the wheel and decode the message.
Keep Exploring
Try another direction
Use one of these extensions after the first version is working.
- Change the key after every word using an agreed pattern.
- Discuss why short messages can be easier to guess than long ones.
- Create a symbol-based wheel with a custom alphabet.
LEARNING CONNECTIONS
Ideas within the build
Learning Connections
Ideas within the build
Cryptography, substitution, encoding, decoding, keys, algorithms, and logical thinking.
Facilitator Note
Make the process visible
Ask participants to predict what will happen, test one change at a time, and explain what they revised. Photograph early and final versions so the improvement process becomes part of the project story.
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