(Courtesy of the National Museum of the United States Army)

The Army has a long history of sending messages using codes to keep them secret. From the Revolutionary War to today, soldiers have used many different types of codes to write their messages.

Directions:  Follow the steps below to create your own invisible messages.

Materials needed:

• ¼ Cup of baking soda
• ¼ Cup of water
• ¼ Cup of dark juice (i.e., grape or cranberry)
• Paper
• Cotton swab
• Toothpick or paintbrush to write with

1. Mix together baking soda and water.
2. Dip your writing utensil into the water/baking soda mixture.
3. Grab a sheet of paper and write your message. Make sure you allow time for it to dry.
4. Once dry, apply your decoding stain. Do this by dipping your cotton swab into dark juice and paint over your message.
5. See if you can read your now visible message.

Visit:  theNMUSA.org