Do not be intimidated by the awesome title of this activity! It is actually very simple to do at home.

Today, we are resuming an activity that was imagined and carried out by Carrefour educators and children a few years ago. Angèle Robidoux’s team at Scène des tout-petits early childhood centre was inspired by the many spy film scenes in which a character must pass through a room fitted with lasers as a security system.

This activity helps develop fine motor skills while having fun. And in costume, it’s ten times better!

Step 1 : Preparation  

You have to work with what you have available! It’s a good thing that this activity requires very little equipment! You will need all-purpose masking tape (painter’s tape), wire, decorative paper ribbon or a ball of yarn, and several chairs to attach your “lasers”.

Start by freeing up a large space in the living room, which is best suited for this activity and which will not disrupt family activities too much.
Keep in mind that children may want to keep the game in use for a few days!

Step 2 : Creating a laser obstacle course

Place the chairs here and there in space, a good distance from each other.

Have fun tying your lasers (ribbons or wool thread) from one chair to another. Secure everything with the painter or masking tape.

Vary the angles, height, and lengths of the lasers to increase the difficulty, and the fun!

Step 3 : Start your mission

The goal of the activity: to go from one end to the other of the laser labyrinth, without touching them! Be careful, they burn!

Add a prize to make the game even more interesting! If the participants pass through the lasers, grab the prize and return without touching a laser, the prize is won!

You can also use a stopwatch if you want to take on a challenge that will spice up the game. As you become an expert secret agent, you can give yourself time challenges or add other obstacles.

Diary

On today’s logbook page, children can simply draw the family involved in the activity to document the day. Another possibility would be to help them draw super top-secret agent identification badges and add a photo of the kids with black sunglasses. The possibilities are endless!

We invite parents to ask their kids questions about today’s activity to feed and improve on their journal entry as well as to engage them in a nice conversation. Here are some questions you can ask:

  • How could the mission be made even more impossible?
  • What noise would the security system make if the alarm was triggered?
  • What will be your next mission, if you accept it?

Did you know... 

  • … Secret agents must be in good physical condition and be very agile in order to avoid being caught?
  • … At first, the secret agents’ mission was not to protect world leaders as it is today, but rather to stop smuggling?
  • …Security systems are becoming more and more sophisticated? Conventional security lights with motion detection detect objects and people crossing the path of the motion detector, thereby triggering the lights. But now there are even more sophisticated sensors that detect body heat, and therefore the presence of a living being in a room.

 

To take this activity further, you can add bells on the ribbons that will ring if you touch the lasers, or turn off the lights after hanging Glow Sticks in the room and try to do the activity in the dark!

 

Activity by M.Coco