Case Makers Academy

Have you ever wanted to be a detective? If so, this review is for you! My kids love mystery books. They enjoy gathering clues and trying to solve the case before the end of the story. It always makes me proud when they come running up to me shouting that they figured it out. They're paying attention to details and strengthening their critical thinking skills. But what if they could be learning so much more? 

Forensic Faith for Kids builds on those skills in popular mystery novels, but adds an even more important aspect. This book from David C Cook  and Case Makers Academy not only teaches investigative skills, but encourages kids--and adults alike--to apply them to Christianity.

J. Warner Wallace, the author of the book, is a real-life detective. He has been featured on multiple news networks and other crime-related television shows for his cold-case-solving abilities. He hasn't always been an advocate for Christianity though. In fact, he was once an atheist. He applied what he had learned as a detective to his investigation of the Bible. After finding overwhelming evidence, he was convinced that Jesus is the Son of God and started using his knowledge to persuade others.

J. Warner, along with his wife, Susie, have written a series of books that teaches kids investigation skills and how to use them to become better Christians. After proving that Jesus is God and that He created the universe, this third book teaches kids how to share the Truth of God with others and to be strong witnesses for Him.

Forensic Faith for Kids tells the story of a group of friends that are learning investigation skills as part of the Junior Detective Academy at the police department. In the beginning of the book, a few of the boys found a puppy with no owner in sight. During that time, some of the girls were surprised when a boy denied that Jesus is God and wondered how they could help him. The two mysteries weave together throughout the book as the group of friends gather clues and learn important details. The detective in charge of the Academy guides the kids, mentors them, and encourages them when the task feels daunting. Though he is there for direction, he never takes control of the cases. In the end, the kids solve both mysteries on their own using the skills that they had learned.

Because the authors want kids to become immersed in the story and put the various methods into practice, they wrote the book in present tense and second person format and made the reader a character. You are there to solve the mysteries. You are there to pick up clues. You are there to be an active participant in the story. It's not my favorite writing style, but it makes complete sense with the purpose of this book.

Each page of the book includes one or more visual extras.

• Pictures -- line art drawings that portray something from the story, can be a tiny square on the page, a large rectangle, or even fill the entire page.
• CSI Assignment -- a quick drill that reinforces a theme from the book, lists Bible verses with blanks to be filled in.
• Detective Definitions -- an explanation of words that are used and how they apply to Christians and in the story 
• A "Tool" for Your Detective Bag -- a tip and challenge to become better detectives 
• Dig Deep -- a gentle reminder to visit the website to enhance the training with the additional resources  

Your detective training continues with the Case Makers Academy. First, there is a collection of videos (the Wallaces are incredibly charming together in the intro clip and there's even a brief cameo of the dog from the story). There is a video to complement each chapter of the story in which the author explains what to expect and details to pay attention to.

There are additional resources for the chapters under each video. The training activity sheets are fun pages. They reinforce skills taught throughout the academy through activities such as word search, dot-to-dot, crossword puzzle, and more. The academy notebook sheets are a way to organize the main pieces of evidence from the story. Fill-in-the-blanks keep the reader engaged without feeling overwhelmed. The adult leader guide is a way to use the book with a small group. It references the full curriculum, includes the important concepts from each chapter, and lists good questions to ask the students.

It was no surprise to me that our family loved this book! We're partial to family read-alouds as it is, but the mystery aspect was a fun addition. My 10-year-old daughter guessed the ending during chapter 3. I wasn't quite convinced myself, but as we continued to read, we could see how her theory was falling into place. Each of us pointed out various details, and before the end, we knew she was right.

My plan was to work through one chapter a day by reading it, watching the video, and completing the pages. However, my kids begged me to continue, and since I'm a sucker for reading, I gave in multiple days. The book itself is 134 pages, so it can easily be read in a day or two on its own. To incorporate the additional training materials though, it's best to take your time.

This is one of my favorite parts of the book:

Once you know what you don't know, you're motivated to learn. Between the test 

and the task is a great opportunity to train.

   

Here's what my kids said about participating in the Case Makers Academy.

I like the puppy. 

My favorite part was solving the mystery.

It was really cool. The end when they solved it was my favorite part!

I like how the two mysteries were solved.

Critical thinking skills are important for everyone to have. I love that this book teaches kids how to think, rather than what to think. The book doesn't give all the answers, but instead teaches the process for the reader to research it for himself. The investigation skills that are taught are beneficial throughout life and especially important when questioning spiritual matters. One of my kids enjoyed Forensic Faith for Kids so much that he's asked multiple times to get the other books in the series. I think we'll be joining the Case Makers Academy again!  

  

You can connect with Case Makers Academy on Facebook.  

You can read more reviews of this book on the Homeschool Review Crew blog. 

   

Critical Thinking Detective Review

One of the reasons we homeschool is that we want our children to be able to think for themselves, to be able to problem solve to find a solution. It is our job to prepare them for life, not just memorize facts from a book. While rote memorization is profitable in certain areas, we don't want to solely rely on that method for our children's education. We strive to give our kids the tools necessary to make clear, reasoned judgments. In other words, we want to develop their critical thinking. Critical thinking has been defined as "the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action." Or more simply, identifying and evaluating evidence to guide decision making. What better way to strengthen their critical thinking than by using products from a company with the same name.

The Critical Thinking Co.™ is "committed to developing students' critical thinking skills for better grades, higher test scores, and success in life." They offer many books and curricula to prepare students, not by teaching through drill and memorization, but instead by teaching in a way that empowers the mind. Critical Thinking Detective Book 1, written by Michael Baker, is one such book.

This critical thinking book lets your child be the detective. It's filled with 12 cases in which to evaluate evidence and solve the crimes. The mysteries ensure that the students "read carefully and analyze and synthesize information to guide their decision-making." The book is recommended for grades 4-12, and though it is easy-to-use, it requires the student to pay attention to details and study the evidence.

My kids love mystery books and enjoy various series that focus on them, so I wasn't surprised that as soon as I got the book from the mailbox, my 12-year-old snatched it up. I was thrilled at his enthusiasm, but hindsight showed me that it wasn't the best decision.

When I sat down with my older kids (12, 10, 8) a few days later to work through the mysteries, I learned that my oldest already knew all the answers. He had read through each scenario. That in itself wouldn't have been a bad thing, I mean, I am all for independent learning and self-directed studies. The problem is that he quickly read the information, made an under-developed guess, and checked the answers. He did not take the time to fully strengthen his critical thinking skills.

He sat with the rest of us as we worked through each mystery and was disappointed that he remembered all the culprits and therefore missed out on the fun of solving the crimes. This time though, his critical thinking skills were put to the test, and he was able to reason through the steps of the process.

The book is set up so that each mystery is a two-page spread. The first page describes the situation and lists statements for four suspects. The second page is for notes and solutions. There is room to list each suspect and give evidence for their innocence or guilt.

The license for this book states that I have permission to copy each page for use in my home. That is so exciting when you have multiple kiddos! However, we chose to talk through the mysteries together. My kids are at the young end of the spectrum (seeing as one is at the youngest recommended age, one is a couple years too young, and one already knew the answers). I talked them through the first scenario and showed them how to evaluate the facts. I explained why certain suspects were innocent based on the information and proved who was the criminal. The second scheme was much the same, except I asked for their thoughts before giving my input. By the third, the kids were able to solve the crimes on their own. Of course, there were times when they were stumped. I would re-read the line(s) that contained the information they needed to deduce the next piece of the puzzle.

I love the format of this Detective Book. The descriptions are concise. Each sentence is numbered so that you can easily understand the solutions. The crimes are not morbid, but are appropriate for children (all thefts: lunch money, bath robe, plant, football, and even a couple lighthearted ones committed by pets).

The only aspect I don't like is the answer pages. Each mystery is listed and gives reasoning for guilt or innocence, but it also shows the lineup of the suspects with the criminal circled in red. It's tricky to look in the back for the answer of a specific scenario without accidentally seeing another culprit. The book should remove the images altogether and rely solely on the names for answers.

My kids immediately fell in love with this style of learning. In addition to developing their critical thinking skills, this book prompted me to introduce them to logic puzzles. As a child, I greatly enjoyed checking off those little boxes and using deductive reasoning to figure them out. My kids, too, think these puzzles are fun and have solved dozens of them since starting the Detective Book. Any book that encourages my kids to do extra learning is a plus for me.

The Critical Thinking Co.™ offers so many resources that look like fun. There is a Detective Book similar to this one, but the student solves the crimes by focusing on Vocabulary. In Something's Fishy at Lake Iwannafisha, students solve the crime by using forensic evidence such as fingerprints, ballistics, handwriting, and more. Students can decode riddles by relying on their language skills in Vocabulary Riddles Book 1. Whether you're looking for critical thinking activities, math books, science resources, or even full curriculum for every grade, The Critical Thinking Co.™ is sure to have something to spark your interest.

You can currently take advantage of coupon code TOSCREW18 to receive free shipping and a 15% discount off any size order! You can also sign up to receive free critical thinking puzzles delivered to your inbox by signing up on their site. My kids enjoy these weekly puzzles. Since you can choose which grade level(s) you receive, my kids each get a fun learning activity designed specifically for their age.

Thank you The Critical Thinking Co.™ for providing not only engaging and thought-provoking materials, but ones that are interesting and enjoyable, as well.

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You can read reviews of their various products on the Homeschool Review Crew blog.