A few months ago, Wyatt became completely enamored of spies and secret agents. I’m not exactly sure what triggered it — I think it might have been an episode of the Backyardigans — but it seemed like a good way to foster creative play so I’ve encouraged it as much as possible.
Every spy needs supplies for surveillance, trapping bad guys and getting out of sticky situations, so we looked around the house for items we could put together into a little spy kit. This is what we came up with:
First we needed a bag to store the spy gadgetry. Zach dug up this freebie from a conference he went to earlier in the year. It’s just the right size — big enough to hold a lot of stuff, but small enough for a five-year-old to sling over his shoulder without it getting in the way when he needs to crouch behind a bush to avoid detection.
We needed stuff to put in the bag too, so we scoured the house for the proper gadgetry. Starting at the top row and going down, we have:
- Bottle caps — These were one of Wyatt’s contributions. I’m not sure what they’re for, but he insists that they’re absolutely necessary.
- Money — Every spy needs to carry cash with him, of course. You never know when you’ll need 6 cents to bribe a hotel clerk.
- A Rock — Another one of Wyatt’s additions. “For throwing at bad guys if they run away from jail.” (Don’t worry — he knows better than to throw rocks at people.)
- A pen cap — To store his cyanide capsule. Kidding! It’s for keeping your pen from drying out.
Middle row, top to bottom:
- Miniature digital camera — Yes, I know it’s ridiculous that we had a miniature digital camera laying around our house. One of Zach’s friends gave this to him, but he wasn’t using it so he passed it along to Wyatt. Obviously, this is the epicenter of the spy kit.
- Flashlight — If you press on Dory’s fins, an LED in her mouth lights up.
- String (and a dollar) — The string can be used to set traps, rappell into office buildings and tie up bad guys. It currently has a dollar attached to it so Wyatt can put it in the middle of the living room floor and snatch it away when I say, “Ooooh! A dollar!”
- Keys — Old keys to luggage locks.
Last row:
- First aid kit — I put some band-aids and antiseptic wipes in an empty candy tin.
- Magnifying glass — Because how can you spy or detect without a magnifying glass?
EDIT: Oh goodness! I almost forgot the best part because it wasn’t in the kit when I took the picture. He also keeps a self-adhesive mustache in the kit in order to disguise himself, like so:
Absolutely invaluable when you’re intent on infiltrating a group of elderly, chess-playing bad guys.
