CSI for Kids

Crime Scene Activities, Books, and Investigations for Kids

CSI for Kids is a page for kids who love detective shows, and who dream of being american examiner some day.
About Forensic Science
Careful Collecting of Evidence
Fingerprints
Historic Investigations
How Evidence is Examined
Now Try to Solve These Crimes

About Forensic Science

Crime Lab
Forensics is the application of science to solving crimes, and scientists are getting really good at it. “There’s no such thing as getting away without a trace,” says Jose Almirall. “There’s always evidence left behind.”

Forensic Science Lesson Plans
A 9-week course on Forensic Science for 8th graders. You need to be able to view Power Point (PPT) and Acrobat (PDF) files. As this designed for classrooms, it might be perfect for a co-op class, or use it on your own.

Careful Collecting of Evidence

Crime Scene Investigation
A real crime scene investigation site. Learn how the experts carefully collect evidence so as not to destroy it in the process.

Fingerprints

Dusting for Fingerprints
Fingerprints are coated with powder, then lifted and taken for identification at the lab. This experiment uses cocoa powder.

Fingerprinting
It is easy to take your own fingerprints, though it’s a bit messy with the ink! With enough care, you can find out what sort of fingerprints you have. You can also identify your friends from their fingerprint!

Fingerprint Classification Project
Follow these instructions for a great lesson on fingerprinting and the scientific method. This project is great for gifted or older elementary students or for middle school students.

Historic Investigations

Secrets of the Dead
Crime scene investigations meet history. A PBS series you can also watch on TV.

Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals
by Professor Elizabeth A. Murray
Audible Edition
Audio Sample
Step into the world of forensic science and study the most fascinating crimes and mysteries from the last two centuries in the 24 lectures of Forensic History: Crimes, Frauds, and Scandals. Professor Murray, a forensic anthropologist with nearly 30 years of experience in the field, has crafted lectures that are a remarkable blend of storytelling and science – a whirlwind tour that takes you from the gas-lit streets of Victorian London to small-town America. As you journey around the world and into the past, you’ll re-examine modern history’s great crimes and scandals using the tools and insights of forensic science. In doing so, you’ll learn how cutting-edge advancements in science and technology are applied to investigations and how to evaluate evidence and think like a forensic scientist.
Audio CD

How Evidence is Examined

FBI – How We Investigate
With the lessons learned during these years, Agents are trained to recognize the many tricks that spies use: fake names, secret messages, special hiding places.

Flame Tests
You can be an analytical chemist or forensic scientist in this activity, by finding out what color flames different metals make, and working out the identity of some unknown metal solutions.

Foot to Height
The bones of the feet can tell a lot about a person. What do feet reveal about a person’s height? Forensic anthropologists team up with law enforcers to help solve crimes.

Ink Chromatography Lab
Chromatography is a method of separating out materials from a mixture. Ink is a mixture of several dyes and therefore we can separate those colors from one another using chromatography. Used to determine which pen wrote the letter.

Is handwriting analysis legit science?
What’s the Straight Dope on handwriting analysis? I know that handwriting experts’ testimony can be accepted in court, so there must be something to it. But I have a hard time believing that a smart criminal wouldn’t be able to change his writing to avoid detection.

Operation Crime Scene Investigation
For kids 10-16 years old. This creative, fun crime investigation game includes a step by step organizer guide, all lab documents and evidence files, CSI ID card, award certificates, invitations, thank you notes, support from the game designer & more.

Powder Analysis
A forensic scientist may discover powder at a crime scene. In order to determine if it is illegal or not the crime lab will identify the substance using chemistry.

Teeth Impressions
Practice being a forensic dentist by leaving the room. One student in the room will take a bite of thick cheese or thick chocolate. See if you can identify the individual who took the bite by comparing the impressions with the bite in the cheese or chocolate.

Urine Analysis
These experiments use faked urine, so don’t get squeamish. The tests are for color and odor, pH, and the presence or absence of protein and glucose.

Now Try to Solve These Crimes

The Case of the Barefoot Burglar
At approximately 7:15 a.m., Friday morning, Mrs. King, the seventh grade science teacher, thought something was fishy as she walked down the hall and noticed that her door was open.

FBI Investigates A Strange Flashlight
Follow a case from start to finish as it makes its way through various units of the FBI Laboratory. Every time you see the phrase, “How did they do that?” click on the link to read the details of how that unit processed the evidence.

Kids Mysteries
Mysteries to solve, scary stories, and magic tricks.

NOVA Online | Killer’s Trail
Welcome to the companion Web site to the NOVA program “The Killer’s Trail,” in which a team of experts investigates the forensic evidence in the 1954 murder of Marylin Sheppard, one of the most famous unsolved crimes in the U.S.

Who Dunnit?
Who took a bite out of the candy? Sticky fingers have been found on the broken aquarium glass. Wet footprints lead to the open window. What is that powdery substance next to the broken piggy bank? Answering these questions is what forensic science is all about.