Who Doesn’t Love a good Forensic Mystery?

I love products that encourage and build critical thinking skills in children, so I was excited to review Something’s Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha from The Critical Thinking Co.™ This forensic mystery was the perfect conclusion to a forensic science class that my oldest took last semester.  It allowed her to apply the knowledge she gained to solve a mock case.

For the Parents Only

If you have children who love to peruse new curriculum as it comes in, you will want to make sure you get your hands on this first.  As the parent you serve as the lead detective on the case.  In the beginning of the book there is a plethora of information regarding the case that you will need to familiarize yourself with.  This section is only meant to be previewed by the parent and is not meant to be shared with your students.

There is some prep work to be done by you first, so this isn’t just a workbook that can be handed over to the child.  While it did take some time to put together, I did not find it difficult.  It was mostly printing pages off for the case file along with information to be presented throughout the investigation.  You have the option of copying the pages out of the book or printing them off online.  I chose to print them off, although, there were a few pages that were not online.

After you have assembled the case folder, you will need to copy the forensics evidence section in the front of the book.  Since we don’t have a printer that copies, I just clipped together all the “for your eyes only” pages and let my daughters use the book for that section.

Our Experience–Working the Forensic Case

The case can be worked by one child or multiple children in a group setting.  I debated having my two oldest daughters work the case independently, but choose to have them work the case together.  I am glad that I did.

After going over the forensic evidence section, the girls were given their case file.  From there, it was up to them to decide how they wanted to proceed.

I really enjoyed listening as my girls discussed the case and worked to decide which direction to proceed and what evidence or reports they may need.  They talked through reports and evidence and worked to figure out how to apply the forensic evidence they learned to the information they had.  I thoroughly enjoyed being able to watch their thought process throughout the case.

Application for Real Life

We had at least one heated discussion where both girls interpreted the same report differently.  Both were positive theirs was the correct interpretation.   After a break we then talked about the need for more information to prove or disprove their assumption.  We discussed looking only at the evidence at hand and the importance of proof in a case to back up ones inferences.  We also applied it to real life work settings where you may disagree with another person and how one should appropriately handle the disagreement.  (For example, giving your partner (or boss) the silent treatment is not great conflict resolution.)  In addition to learning some critical thinking skills, we also practiced some conflict resolution and listening skills.  We had some good discussions about real-life forensic and police investigation and how that fits into our criminal justice system.

Minus disagreements, the girls enjoyed working the case and had fun solving it.  I enjoyed the many different aspects of forensics and police investigation it brought in.  Also the way it challenged my girls to think through different scenarios and gather and interpret information.

Try it for Yourself

We will definitely be using more products from The Critical Thinking Co.™ in our homeschool.

If you click this link, you can sign up to receive free critical thinking puzzles to your inbox.  A $75 value!

To learn about their other products, check out some of the other Crew Reviews first!