Playing spies or fooling others with magic tricks is always a lot of fun. Mr Z loves these type of activities so he was keen to try out the Secret Spy Workshop set from Wild Science. This kit contains the supplies for 4 different spy themed craft activities. I will show you how to make one of Mr Z’s favourite spy crafts from the kit.
Disappearing Money Box Magic Trick Craft
This one is actually a bit more of a magic trick craft than a spy craft as such, but it would be a cool gadget for a spy to have in their spy tool kit and perhaps could use it to confuse and distract while they are doing their spying?!
To make the disappearing money box you will need:
- Small box with a removable lid, and a window in the front.
- Holographic card
- Mirror to fit the size of the box
- Small half mirror ball (optional)
- Foam sheet to fit the box
If you use the Secret Spy Workshop kit to make this craft, everything comes provided in the box so that will be much easier.
How To make:
- Fold your holographic card carefully to cover the bottom and both sides of the box (not the back or front). The shape of card you will need is a long rectangle folded into thirds for the two sides and the bottom. Make sure its a perfect fit to the box
- Stick the mirror ball onto the middle of your mirror
- Then lower your mirror into the box at an angle. It will make about a 45 degree angle with the bottom edge touching the back of the box and the top edge touching the top of the box. This should fit perfectly, you don’t want the mirror to have any room to move around at all. It needs to be a snug fit. The reflective side of your mirror needs to be facing downwards to reflect the holographic card from the bottom of the box.
- This gives the illusion that the whole box is empty
- Add your foam sheet just on top of the mirror, as a protective layer.
- Your lid needs to have a slot in it to place coins
Now, when you place a coin inside the box, it will fall onto the foam sheet and stay concealed in the space that has been created behind the mirror. No one will know where the coin has gone!
This is lots of fun to play with once its made. As well as coins, you can experiment with making other items “disappear” or remove the lid and try a disappearing finger trick. Mr Z was very proud of this and has enjoyed playing with it. It’s great to have a craft that is robust like this and withstand lots of play afterwards. It’s a great craft for family fun too, as he could try his disappearing magic trick on everyone in the family.
It’s an easy enough craft for a 6 year old (Mr Z’s age) to make with some supervision, and there is some science included in this craft as your child starts to think about the mirrors and how the reflections work in order to pull this trick off!
In the Secret Spy Workshop set you get everything needed for this spy craft, plus 3 others.
The Secret Spy Workshop set from Wild Science is available from many toy shops including Amazon (currently 12) and is recommended for age 6+.
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We were given the Secret Spy Workshop set for review
Anna Marikar, mum of four and seasoned blogger, has spent over a decade sharing her parenting journey and passion for kid-friendly crafts and free printables.
Her easy-to-follow craft ideas and practical parenting advice have transformed In The Playroom into a cherished resource for parents.