C.S.I. Education

C.S.I. Education

February 17, 2011

Austin returning from checking our mail asks, “Mom is there a reason that our mail box has a hole blown in it?”  Apparently someone shot a hole in our mail box. So what can we do? We can use it for a C.S.I. education. I encourage my kiddos to “work the scene.”

The bullet entered here.

The bullet exited this side.

 

Angle of travel. 

Trying to find the bullet.

They run a piece of string (yarn was handy) through the two holes to see if they can follow it to the bullet.

Anna holds the yarn while Austin strings it in the direction the bullet went. “I want to be Abby! Who are you Austin… Austin… Austin! Who are you?” “Gibbs!” I respond to her make believe N.C.I.S. play. Austin was to busy to play along but Adam shouts, “I want to be Ducky!”

Austin gets Adam to help out getting it through the bushes.

The path leads to the base of a big oak. We dig around a little and do not find the bullet in the massive amount of leaves. Had this been a real crime scene we would not have been able to give up until we found it but it was time to do chores and start school so we gave up looking for the bullet.

We look around to find a casing but could not find one. Austin looks through the holes and tries to speculate where the bullet came from. We decide it must have been coming from the neighbors yard. They must have been target practicing in their yard and the bullet hit our mailbox instead of their target. We have ruled this crime and accident.

Case Closed.

I know there is much more work done on a real crime scene but this was just for fun. It gives the kids a small idea of what they would do in this line of work so they can figure out what interests them for when they are grown. Anna states, “I want to be a C.S.I. agent!” “I thought you wanted to be a hair dresser?” I ask. “Hmm, well I will just have two jobs!”