Crime Scene Investigations

Nomad Press has a couple of fun books out about Forensics. So this week and next I'll be pairing a book review with some hands-on crime scene science that you can do at home.

Forensics: Uncover the science and technology of crime scene investigation
by Carla Mooney; illus. by Samuel Carbaugh
128 pages; ages 12 - 15
Nomad Press, 2013

This is a wonderful book, and I can't believe I let it fall to the bottom of my book review basket. Especially since I enjoy watching Bones and NCIS !

Forensics is the science of finding evidence and analyzing it for clues. Evidence can be anything: blood spatters, carpet fibers, insects, pollen, powders, fingerprints and footprints. Each piece of evidence reveals something about what happened at the scene of the crime.

This book introduces the science of crime scene investigation. There's a chapter on fingerprints: how to find, recover, and identify the patterns. There's a chapter about blood evidence, and one about bones and bodies. There's chapters about impressions (treadmarks), trace evidence, and fakes. Throughout the book are sidebars highlighting forensic careers and plenty of hands-on activities for kids to try. It's a great way to introduce kids to the science they see on the screen.

Try It: Fingerprints

Take a look at your fingers using a magnifying lens. See the whorls and arches? They make your print pattern. Any time you touch something, you leave a fingerprint. That's because your skin has oils in it. Crime scene investigators use powder to coat prints with dust and then lift them or photograph them for identification.

You can do it too. All you need are: a clean drinking glass, cocoa powder, a small, soft brush (camel-hair paintbrush) , transparent tape, and white paper. Now rub your fingers against your nose to make sure they have oils on them - that will make it easier for you to leave prints. Pick up the glass and put it down.  You should have left some prints.

Use the cocoa powder to lightly dust the prints, and brush gently with the brush. The prints should become visible. Place the sticky side of the tape on a print and lift it off the glass. Then tape it to the white paper. Now you've got a print for "the lab".

Now take fingerprints of you and your friends, using washable ink or graphite. Try to pair up the print from the glass with one of the known prints.

Review copy of the book provided by publisher.

Wild Outdoor Wednesday

Mark of a square bit of your yard  - a place you can let go wild for a couple months while you watch it. Measure off a square that is anywhere from one foot to one yard on each side. Pound in a stake or stick at each corner and tie a string around them to mark your square. If you have bright cloth or tape, mark the tops of the stakes so they don’t get mowed.

Now look closely at your square. Write down everything you find. Draw some pictures. Show the colors of what you see.

Remember to take your sketchbook or journal with unlined pages, something to draw and write with, and something to add color ~ watercolors, colored pencils, crayons, or markers.

More "Wet & Wild" books

Ocean animals: Who's Who in the Deep Blue?
by Johnna Rizzo
112 pages; ages 8-12
National Geographic Children's Books, 2016

This is a book that you'll want to dive right into - filled with photos of exotic and not-so-exotic ocean life. There are photos of polar bears and pelicans, penguins and puffins. You'll get to know marine iguanas, dolphins and whales, come face to face with octopuses and sharks. You'll be introduced to some hard-core crustaceans and jumbo jellyfish, plus lots of coral reef dwellers.

There's an introduction to the oceans of the world (can you name all five?) and a section about ocean habitats. And there's a handy list of 20 things everyone can do to protect the oceans, from cleaning up a beach to changing how you get around. Bicycling and walking help reduce the amount of car oil and other chemicals that get into waterways and eventually make their way into the oceans.

Learn how scientists and governments are protecting the oceans at the Pristine Seas website.

Jump into Science: Coral Reefs
by Sylvia Earle; illus. by Bonnie Matthews
32 pages; ages 4-8
National Geographic Children's Books, 2016

 "Coral reefs are like rainbow-colored cities," is how this book opens. Strap on your face mask and snorkel, slip on your flippers, and dive in.

Corals may look like colorful plants, but they are animals. Each coral animal looks like a flower growing from a stony pot, but when they lock together they can form branches and brain-like mounds.

This book shows how corals grow and live, and the creatures that live in and among them. There are sponges and mollusks, octopuses and squids, sea stars and fishes. Sometimes visitors come by the reefs: turtles and dolphins may drop by for a quick lunch. Once the sun sets, the reef takes on a nightlife of its own. The book ends with a hands-on activity.

Today's review is part of the STEM Friday roundup. Drop by STEM Friday blog for more science books and resources. Review copies from publisher.