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Discover what this means

I spy with my camera eye

Discover your inner spy while practising digital wizardry and skills of disguise.

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You’ll need

  • Camera or phone
  • Fancy dress items
  • A laptop or tablet
  • Camera to laptop connection cable

Master the art of disguise

  1. Split into groups. Give each group a box of props and fancy dress items.
  2. Each group should transform themselves into world-class spies. The person leading the game should keep an eye on the time – the spies only have 10 minutes to get into disguise.

Make your spy ID

  1. Everyone should use the camera (or smartphone) to take a selfie for their spy ID.
  2. Everyone should upload the photos to a computer or tablet and create a slideshow of all the spies
  1. Everyone should vote for the best spy selfies. They could just vote for their favourite, or decide on categories such as ‘the most different looking’, ‘the funniest’, and so on.

Reflection

This activity gave you a chance to be independent. Did you choose your own disguise? Did you help take some of the pictures? Being independent also involves making your own decisions. Why is it important to check whether you’re allowed to take photos before you start? When might we not be allowed to take photos (in some museums, during films or shows)? Just like you were in disguise and the photo didn’t show the ‘real’ you, we know that some photographs in the media (and on social media) have been changes or disguised. Are photos in magazines or on social media always ‘real’?

This activity also gave you a chance to be a team player. Did you share the props and clothes so everyone had a great disguise? Did you give people advice to help them improve their disguises? Did you work together to use the camera (or smartphone)?

Safety

All activities must be safely managed. You must complete a thorough risk assessment and take appropriate steps to reduce risk. Use the safety checklist to help you plan and risk assess your activity. Always get approval for the activity, and have suitable supervision and an InTouch process.

Online safety

Supervise young people when they’re online and give them advice about staying safe. Take a look at our online safety or bullying guidance. The NSPCC offers more advice and guidance, too. If you want to know more about specific social networks and games, Childnet has information and safety tips for apps. You can also report anything that’s worried you online to the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Command. As always, if you’ve got concerns about a young person’s welfare, including their online experiences, follow the Yellow Card to make a report.

Why not create your own spy ID cards? You could invent a spy identity and use a program such as Microsoft Paint or Microsoft Word to design a spy ID with your identity and selfie.

No one has to wear any dressing up clothes they don’t want to. If anyone doesn’t want to wear any of the clothes or props, they could pull a silly or unusual face so they don’t look like their everyday self – or maybe they could make their own prop with paper?

If you’re struggling to source equipment, you could speak to a local school, community centre, or library. They may be able to arrange visits, or loan you the equipment you need for the activity. If you can’t access a camera or smartphone, you could ask everyone to come up with a disguise and take a spy picture at home. Parents or carers could email the pictures to volunteers for the slide show.

All Scout activities should be inclusive and accessible.

Beavers Photographer Activity Badge