Pathfinders Co-Op

A great ending to our semester in forensic science! We learned about spy technology and surveillance through history (hard boiled eggs and a spy cat!?), made maps of a scene from "balloons" just as the American Balloon Corps might have during the Civil War, practiced our critical thinking skills to figure out how to squeeze our bodies through an index card, and lifted fingerprints during a discussion about how they are used in security measures. Next week we tackle an escape room to see if we can put a semester's worth of skills to the test!

What a great week! We talked about chemical analysis in forensics. Our students took 5 white powders and learned just how different they can be after a few tests! Then we learned about the pH scale and used a pH indicator to place different household substances. Finally, we used our sleuthing skills to run tests on a chemical sample to determine which suspect had been at the scene of the crime!

This week at Pathfinders, we explored DNA in forensics! We learned a little bit about DNA, made candy DNA models, practiced matching base pairs of gene sequences for different animals, extracted DNA from strawberries, and completed DNA fingerprinting to determine which suspect committed a jewel heist! This has been a fabulous semester. We'll take next week off before we finish the semester strong.

This week at Pathfinders, we explored codes and ciphers (and learned the difference between the two!) We unscrambled and unraveled clue after to clue to discover where the stolen jewels were. What a fun way to stretch our brains!