Crime Scene Science Lab: A Forensic Science Lesson for Kids

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Turn your kids into crime scene investigators with this hands-on forensic science lesson!

Forensic science is such a fun way to show kids how science can be used to solve real-world problems. Instead of simply learning about observation, measurement, patterns, and evidence, kids get to put those skills to work as they investigate a pretend crime scene.

For our Crime Scene Science Lab, I set up several different types of evidence for my kids to investigate. They analyzed fingerprints, handwriting, shoe prints, simulated blood spatter, facial features, and fibers while recording their observations in their own crime scene lab notebooks.

I also created a printable Crime Scene Science Lab pack with a teacher guide and student lab notebook so you can set up the investigation yourself.

What Is Forensic Science?

Forensic science is the use of scientific methods to examine evidence connected to a crime or investigation.

Forensic scientists may study fingerprints, DNA, fibers, handwriting, footprints, chemical substances, digital evidence, and many other types of clues.

For kids, a pretend crime scene is a great opportunity to practice some of the same basic scientific skills:

• Careful observation
• Measuring and comparing
• Recording data
• Looking for patterns
• Making hypotheses
• Drawing conclusions from evidence

The important part is that students don’t simply guess what happened. They use the evidence they collect to support their conclusions.

Set Up a Crime Scene for Kids

You can make your crime scene as simple or elaborate as you’d like.

Place several pieces of evidence around a room or designated investigation area. Give each student a crime scene lab notebook and have them move through the different investigations, recording what they observe.

You can even create a simple mystery for them to solve at the end.

Here are the forensic science activities we used.

Simulated Blood Spatter Analysis

For this activity, we made simulated blood using corn syrup, water, and food coloring.

I used an eyedropper to create different splatter patterns on a large sheet of butcher paper. I also left a blank area in part of the pattern to represent a place where an object, hand, or arm might have blocked the droplets.

Then the kids experimented with creating their own splatters from different heights and compared their results.

What Can Kids Investigate?

Try dropping the simulated blood from several different heights.

Have kids observe:

• Does drop height change the size of the stain?
• Does it affect how much the liquid splashes?
• What happens when a drop hits at an angle?
• What patterns are similar?
• What might cause an empty area within a larger pattern?

This turns the activity into an actual experiment rather than simply creating messy splatters—which is admittedly fun, too.

Note: This is a simplified classroom model. Actual bloodstain-pattern analysis is much more complex and shouldn’t be presented as a way to reliably reconstruct a real crime from a few drops.

 

Handwriting Analysis

This was one of my kids’ favorites!

The printable Crime Scene Lab includes a handwritten note that you can place at your pretend crime scene. It also includes eight handwriting samples for students to compare with the note.

Have your investigators look closely at things such as:

• Letter shapes
• Spacing between words
• Letter size
• Slant
• How letters connect
• Unusual writing habits

Which sample looks most similar to the mystery note?

This is a great visual-comparison activity, but it’s also a good opportunity to talk about the limits of evidence. Similar handwriting can be a clue, but handwriting comparison alone doesn’t prove who wrote something.

 

Fingerprint Investigation

Next, let your crime scene investigators look for fingerprints!

I created visible prints on a table by rubbing a small amount of lotion onto my hands first and then touching the surface.

We used a soft makeup brush and a little cocoa powder to make the prints easier to see.

Gently brush the powder across the print rather than scrubbing it. Once the fingerprint becomes visible, carefully place a piece of clear packing tape over it.

Lift the tape and transfer the print onto white paper or directly into the crime scene lab notebook.

Look Closely at the Fingerprints

Use a magnifying glass to examine the prints.

Kids can look for common fingerprint patterns and compare the details they see between different fingerprints.

Try taking fingerprints from several family members or students. How are they similar? How are they different?

 

Shoe Print Analysis

Footwear impressions can provide another interesting piece of evidence.

The printable pack includes four different shoe-print patterns that you can place around your pretend crime scene. You could also create your own impressions using washable paint and old shoes on butcher paper or another protected surface.

Have students:

• Sketch the print
• Measure its length and width
• Look for tread patterns
• Compare different impressions
• Record identifying features

Then give them several possible shoe prints to compare.

Which one is the closest match?

Again, encourage kids to explain what evidence supports their conclusion rather than simply choosing an answer.

Facial Recognition & Observation

How closely do you really look at someone’s face?

For this part of the investigation, students use their observation skills to study facial features and create a sketch.

Encourage them to pay attention to details such as face shape, hair, eyebrows, eyes, nose, mouth, and other distinguishing characteristics.

You can make this especially fun by allowing one student to briefly study a photograph, hide it, and then describe the person while another student attempts to draw the face.

Compare the finished drawing with the original. Which details were easy to remember? Which were missed?

It’s a fascinating demonstration of how observation and memory aren’t always as reliable as we think they are.

Fabric & Fiber Investigation

Tiny fibers can become another clue for your investigators.

Place several fabric samples at your crime scene and provide additional samples for comparison.

Instead of burning the fabric, have kids investigate its physical characteristics.

They can compare:

• Color
• Texture
• Thickness
• Stretch
• Weave or knit pattern
• Fraying
• Absorbency

Use a magnifying glass or microscope if you have one.

Can students determine which sample most closely matches the mystery fiber?

You could even pull out individual threads and examine them under magnification.

Turn It Into a Real Science Investigation

The part I love most about this activity is that kids have to do more than find clues.

They have to observe, record, compare, and reason from evidence.

After students complete each station, have them review everything in their lab notebooks.

Ask:

• What does each piece of evidence tell you?
• Which evidence seems strongest?
• Do any clues contradict each other?
• Is there enough evidence to reach a conclusion?
• What additional evidence would you want to collect?

That last question is especially important. Science isn’t about forcing the evidence to fit the answer you expected!

Printable Crime Scene Science Lab

Want to set up the complete investigation?

I created a printable Crime Scene Science Lab that includes a teacher guide and student lab notebook along with materials you can use to set up the different evidence stations.

It’s a fun activity for homeschool science, classrooms, co-op classes, STEM lessons, science clubs, or a forensic science unit. Find it in my shop!

More Science Activities for Kids

If your kids enjoyed becoming forensic scientists, keep the investigation going with some of my other hands-on science experiments and STEM activities!

Alka-Seltzer Rockets: Simple Rocket Science Experiment for Kids

Architecture STEM Project: Build an Area and Perimeter City

Periodic Table Guess Who: A Fun Chemistry Game for Kids

How to Make a Popsicle Stick Catapult (STEM Challenge for Kids)