Mystery Party Game - Operation Crime Scene Investigation. Our forensic mystery game for kids age 10 - 16

The mystery game is designed to allow the kids to "solve" a crime. You, as the facilitator, will provide the different labs to enable the kids to use their collected evidence to assemble a profile of the suspect. This template allows you to modify the suspect's identity to be anyone who will be attending the party without their knowledge. This way the actual criminal is investigating his or herself without knowing it.

As the facilitator you will need to set up a crime scene somewhere where the party is being held (you and your volunteer victim are gonna have fun setting this up!). You'll chose death by gun shot, stabbing, bludgeoning or strangulation based on the age of the kids attending the party - gunshots have quite a bit of blood but strangulation has very little. All the party attendees will be able to view, photograph and document the evidence left at the scene. Once they have completed their viewing and taken careful notes, they'll visit 6 forensic labs.

The object of the game is to visit all the labs and compare their collected evidence against the crime databases to see what they can find out about the victim and the suspect. After visiting all the labs they will need to sit down and go through their answers to see if they can identify the suspect. Each team is competing against each other so secrecy is a must. If they share their answers with another team, that team may beat them to the final solution.

AGE RANGE: Age 10 to 16.

NUMBER OF TEAMS or PARTICIPANTS: Divide all the kids up into teams consisting of 2-3 kids on each team. You can have an infinite number of teams; the game just works much better with 2-3 kids on a team. One note: The teams will visit the crime scene and 6 forensic labs. As you add on teams over 6 you might want to set up a duplicate set of labs so the teams aren't getting in each other's way or waiting to get into a lab.

PRE-GAME PREP TIME: IMPORTANT! This game takes quite a bit of prep time to prepare the crime scene and evidence. On average it should take about 8 to 10 hours of total prep time, to include shopping, finger and foot printing and setting up the displays/labs as well as the crime scene. Most supplies you will have around your home or can be purchased at your local office supply store. Sources (shops, web sites) for things you may not have around your home are included in the kit.

ADDITIONAL HELP: You will need a person to play a judge and another to play the owner of an email service business (small roles, quick scenes set up for the teams to acquire a clue). You'll also need a victim for your crime scene. If you have a large group of kids, it will help to have additional support on hand to guide them through all the labs. As an option you can have someone play a cop to serve the search warrants towards the end of the game. And finally, you will need someone to plant the evidence during the party (without getting caught). You, of course, can do this yourself but having others help you is preferred if only for your sanity.

LENGTH OF THE GAME: About 2 hours (plan on 2 hours but keep in mind the more teams you have the longer it may take).

EXAMPLE: The Labs the teams will visit are as follows: Fingerprint Lab, Trace Evidence Lab (for physical clues found at the scene), DNA Lab, Morgue, Impressions Lab (footprints) and Firearms/Tool Marks Lab.

Let's use the Fingerprint Lab as an example:
This lab will allow the investigators to compare the prints from the crime scene to prints that are on file. You will need 3 to 6 people to at some point prior to the party put their fingerprints on the print cards included with the kit.

You will also need 1 or two of those volunteers (your victim included) to put some prints on an evidence file of the fingerprints found at the crime scene.

You may want to do the print creations a few days before the party as it's a bit time consuming. Also you want to be sure all the ink will be gone from anyone's fingertips at the party so the kids don't immediately suspect the wrong person.

Supplies Needed for this Lab:
1. A black stamp pad (or black watercolor paint can be used instead)
2. Volunteers to be fingerprinted
3. Print card sheets (included with game; you add the fingerprints)
4. Crime scene fingerprint evidence card (included with game; you add the fingerprints.
5. Envelopes 1 per team for the Fingerprint Clue sheets. Mark "Fingerprint Lab" on envelope.
6. Several small pieces of white poster board or foam board on which to mount the fingerprint cards.
7. Rubber cement or glue to tape the print cards to the poster or foam board.
8. Roll of wide, clear packing tape to make the crime scene fingerprints.
9. Marker.

Check your local office supply or dollar store for most of these items.

THIS CSI GAME INCLUDES FRIENDLY, HELPFUL SUPPORT ALONG WITH MASTER COPIES OF:
1. Facilitator instructions, supply lists & all lab documents/files
2. Rules of the game
3. Invitation and CSI ID card
4. Award Certificates
5. Lab Signs

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO BUY/PROVIDE: This game is prop intensive so be forewarned! We provide all of the lab and evidence files (DNA samples, blood spatter samples, and more) but it does require quite a few props to set up the various labs and the crime scene (most are inexpensive but still, you should know this before you buy).
You'll be able to use household items to stage your crime scenes: shoes, old clothes, furniture, a car, a flashlight, sheets or towels, corn syrup and red food coloring (for blood) and your husband, wife or best friend as a victim. You'll need a digital camera to take "morgue" type photos and one digital camera at the crime scene so the teams can take their evidence photos. You'll also need: team evidence collection bags (plastic shopping bags or something fancier - your choice), some make up, office supplies such as envelopes, glue, packing tape, black marker, poster board, folders, pencils, binders, pads of paper, watercolor paint and clipboards.

We'll let you know exactly what you need to get and where you can get it in our handy facilitators' guide that comes with this scavenger hunt.