Forensic Science

[gef918]

I have a 6 yr old coming to me for a week next month - for up to 2 hours each morning. He's very bright and keen to be a forensic scientist when he's older, so I thought I'd do lots of forensic science activities. So far, I've come up with:

making fingerprints and identifying loops, whorls and arches
making a plaster cast of a footprint
comparing and matching handwriting samples
doing some simple chemical tests on household ingredients, e.g. flour, salt, sugar, baking powder
making a facial reconstruction using playdough
decoding a message written in invisible ink

Any CSI fans out there who can give me more ideas?

[hectors house]

Gosh can't imagine a 6 year old knowing what they want to be when they are older, I am OLDER and still don't know what I want to be! Don't think it would work with printers but with old fashioned typewriters you could tell which typewriter the letter came from. (see showing my age). How about making a ransom note by cutting out different letters from newspapers? - (from the criminal angle)

Have you got a junior microscope for looking at hair and threads from different types of material?

Or you could just get Silent Witness box set and leave him to it!

[AliceK]

Gosh can't imagine a 6 year old knowing what they want to be when they are older, I am OLDER and still don't know what I want to be! Don't think it would work with printers but with old fashioned typewriters you could tell which typewriter the letter came from. (see showing my age). How about making a ransom note by cutting out different letters from newspapers? - (from the criminal angle)

Have you got a junior microscope for looking at hair and threads from different types of material?

Or you could just get Silent Witness box set and leave him to it!

Why not? My DD is aged 6 and she is adamant she wants to be a scarecrow when she's older :laughing:

xxxx

[gef918]

Thanks Hectors house. Some good ideas - I do have a microscope and the ransom letter sounds like fun.

Keep the ideas coming...

[shortstuff]

Why not? My DD is aged 6 and she is adamant she wants to be a scarecrow when she's older :laughing:

xxxx

Thats priceless x

[FussyElmo]

Yes best advice ignore CSI and NCIS.

In fact set up an experiment that takes 6 weeks or more to get the results from. Then he will know what a real forensic scientist has to do :laughing::laughing::laughing:

[smurfette]

[QUOTE="AliceK;1343244"] Why not? My DD is aged 6 and she is adamant she wants to be a scarecrow when she's older :laughing: xxxx[/QUOT

Lol how cute!!

[Glitter]

What about going for a walk through a muddy park or wood and try to identify footprints (dog, different sized people).
You can dust your house for fingerprints using a large soft make up brush and an old powder compact.
Take a magnifying glass in to the garden to look for clues.

Are we allowed to plan around our own interests? This all sounds a lot of fun, but I don't think my children would be bothered.

[specks4]

These ideas sound great just to do with older minders in general, might have to get planning.

[Jayse74]

I got one! Get a picture of a family member, print and stick it to card. Maybe do a few.

Then cut them up and do face re-constructions, photo fit id that kinda thing.

EDIT: Oh and at least the child is wanting to be something positive at least lol! Imagine having a mindee that wanted to be an MP.... how would you deal with that?

[maisiemog]

Why not? My DD is aged 6 and she is adamant she wants to be a scarecrow when she's older :laughing: xxxx

My DD is going to be a chef with purple hair who rides a pink glittery motorbike!

[Dragonfly]

Still giggling from the I want to be a scarecrow reply :laughing: :laughing:

[AliceK]

Still giggling from the I want to be a scarecrow reply :laughing: :laughing:

lol, No idea why she wants to be a scarecrow but it's been her wish for a long time now bless her :laughing:

xxx

[Maza]

Can't think of anything to do specifically with forensic science but in my investigations box I have torches of different kinds, magnifying glasses, mirrors, magnets, prisms, droppers...

Bicarbonate soda and vinegar investigations always go down well. Torches and mirrors - bouncing light...

[JCrakers]

lol, No idea why she wants to be a scarecrow but it's been her wish for a long time now bless her :laughing:

xxx

Mmmmm. Are you secretly hoping she changes her mind as she gets older. I've heard there's not a lot of money in that career.

[AliceK]

Mmmmm. Are you secretly hoping she changes her mind as she gets older. I've heard there's not a lot of money in that career.

Lol, hmmm, well she did tell me one day she wanted to be a childminder like me and there's not much money in that either lol. Some days standing in a field seems quite appealing.

xxx

[wee_elf]

chalk outlines....or is that too far?!! :D

[SYLVIA]

Lol, hmmm, well she did tell me one day she wanted to be a childminder like me and there's not much money in that either lol. Some days standing in a field seems quite appealing.

xxx

As a childminder I have spent days standing in fields!!

[cupcakencookie]

Why not? My DD is aged 6 and she is adamant she wants to be a scarecrow when she's older :laughing:

xxxx

Mine wants to be a dog!:laughing:

[tulip0803]

Why not? My DD is aged 6 and she is adamant she wants to be a scarecrow when she's older :laughing:

xxxx

MY DS wanted to be a Pokémon Trainer at that age - he is training to be a vet and he said it is the closest job he could find:p

[AliceK]

Mine wants to be a dog!:laughing:

:laughing: that made me laugh
Xx

[sing-low]

Anyone remember 'I want to be a tree'?

[smurfette]

Anyone remember 'I want to be a tree'?

Some .. Cloud!

[mrstom]

Anyone remember 'I want to be a tree'?

Yes!!! What was it from? Some kind of bank advert?

[sing-low]

Prudential.

[cupcakencookie]

How about Cluedo? x

[smurfette]

Some .. Cloud!

Oh is that a different ad?!

[smurfette]

How about Cluedo? x

Ooh great idea love cluedo! Anyone seen the movie of this it's called Clue., hilarious!!

[mrstom]

Ooh great idea love cluedo! Anyone seen the movie of this it's called Clue., hilarious!!

I love that film!!!

[Jiorjiina]

I have a 6 yr old coming to me for a week next month - for up to 2 hours each morning. He's very bright and keen to be a forensic scientist when he's older, so I thought I'd do lots of forensic science activities. So far, I've come up with:

making fingerprints and identifying loops, whorls and arches
making a plaster cast of a footprint
comparing and matching handwriting samples
doing some simple chemical tests on household ingredients, e.g. flour, salt, sugar, baking powder
making a facial reconstruction using playdough
decoding a message written in invisible ink

Any CSI fans out there who can give me more ideas?

Oooh, this sounds like fun! :D

You could do spatter pattern analysis by filling a balloon with paint and then popping with different things, from different heights and at different speeds. If you do a different paint colour each time you can see the different ways it splatters.

How are you going to make fingerprints? The easiest way I found was to use lightly floured fingers, then touch a piece of sellotape. Works beautifully.

If you go for a walk, you could look at the tyres of cars, vans, etc and see how they're different (width, tread pattern, etc). You could also look for animal tracks and people's footprints in all the mud around at the moment while you're at it.

Also, collect different seeds and record them, be

If you fill a tray with soil or compost, you could use different shoes to make imprints, then examine the patterns they leave behind. (BONUS! If you have any left over plaster from your plaster cast, spray the shoe imprint with hairspray, then carefully pour the plaster in to get a reverse impression of the shoe. The hairspray acts like glue to hold the soil together until the plaster hardens.)

You can also do skid mark analysis with a toy car with its tyres rolled through paint, then 'skidded' along a piece of paper.

You could also do things like trying to identify different brands of cola by a blind taste test, etc.

Or practise being an eye witness, and do memory games. (Eye witnesses are statistically the most unreliable form of evidence).