Super Duper Semaphore Or, as we like to call it ... Flag Texting! Hello Lieutenants ... You can have a whole lot of fun with just a couple of hand flags. Even if you don’t have actual flags, you can make your own using items found around your home, like tea towels, or even two smelly old socks tied to some sticks! As long as you’re having fun ... be inventive. What’s it all about? Well, believe it or not, a great way for ships near (in range of) each other or ships wanting to communicate to the land is to use ‘Flag Semaphore’. It’s a bit like sending a text message ... but with your arms. It has been used for hundreds of years on both land and sea (from the sea, red and yellow flags are used). The word semaphore is Greek for ‘Sign-bearer’ Here’s how it works… Each letter of the alphabet has its own arm position (plus a few extras that we will cover in later ranks). Once you can remember these, you can send loads of hidden messages to your friends and family. Check these out ... ABCDEFG HIJKLM NOPQR STUVWX YZ How cool is that? To send a message the ‘sender’ gets the attention of the ‘receiver’ by waving their arms (and flags) by their side in an up and down motion (imagine flapping your arms like a bird). Don’t worry if you make mistakes or the receiver translates your signals into silly words - we’ve had lots of fun practicing this, and it will take time to become a Super Signaller! Are you ready to send your message? One letter at a time? Remember to pause between each letter and a bit longer between words to accurately get your message through. Maybe start by spelling your name and when you get the hang of all the letters, try a simple phrase like ‘What’s for dinner?’ or ‘See you after school’ We wish there was a Semaphore signal to show the Smiley Emoji :-) Have Fun! .