CSI at St Mary’s - Students unlock mystery of missing boy

The youthful sleuths used cutting-edge forensic tools to find out the 'howdunnit' rather than the more traditional 'whodunnit'.

The interactive Science workshop had students working to solve the case of a missing 12-year-old boy. 

St Mary’s Primary School Curriculum Coordinator Erin Rumble said the workshop gave students a valuable and unique experience.

"Our students were trying to find out if a boy had run away from home to join the circus, or if he had been kidnapped, or had something else happened to him," she said.

"In order to investigate this, students examined the crime scene and then participated in activities to piece the evidence together.

"The Year three to six students looked at a range of animal tracks to discover what animals were near the crime scene. They then learnt about scatology as they examined scats found at the crime scene.

"Fingerprints were taken, and a digital microscope was used to uncover hidden clues that might lead to the case being solved."

Mrs Rumble said the day was a great success.

"The workshop allowed students to connect what they had learnt through television crime shows with real science," she said.

"I had students tell me that they enjoyed being able to have a go at real science like they have seen on TV.

They also commented it was enjoyable to discover what different plants look like under a microscope and that they found the workshop very interesting.” 

St Mary’s Principal Louise Grant said running enjoyable interactive programs was a focus of the school.

“Programs such as Forensic Science offered by Education Interactive are so valuable as they encourage a love of and curiosity in science amongst the students,” she said.

“This program also demonstrates to our students how science plays an important role in the world outside the classroom.”