Maybe you would like to be a forensic detective. Forensics are scientific tests that are used to solve mysteries. A forensic scientist might work in a lab or might go out to places where crimes are committed, the crime scene. Watch this video of Jose. He uses forensic science to solve mysteries. By testing physical evidence he identifies suspects and helps bring them to justice.

Not everyone would like being a forensic scientist or a crime scene investigator. People who do this job work in good weather or bad, during the day or in the middle of the night. Because they are helping investigate crimes, they have to look at crime scenes and victims that have been hurt. However, if you like science and you like thinking through things in steps using logic, it might be the job for you. You could feel good knowing you helped put a criminal in jail or knowing you helped prove the innocence of a person. Now that you’ve watched Jose, you can really put yourself in his shoes. Get some online experience with forensics at CSI Web Adventures Rookie Training.

You might also like to try these books:

In the next few days we will explore several different kinds of forensic science. Tomorrow we’ll begin with fingerprinting.

Talk the Talk Word of the Day: Evidence – An object or information that is used as proof in a crime investigation.

If you love airplanes, ask a grownup to take you to the Indianapolis Air Show at the Mt. Comfort Airport this weekend, June 5-7, 2009. On the website you can see all the different kinds of planes and activities that will be going on there. You can see the Blue Angels, historic airplanes and a lot more.

If you can’t go to the airshow and just love airplanes, try out some of the paper creations in this book. The directions are really clear with color photographs to help you make the folds correctly. The planes start out easy and get harder and harder as you move through the book. The last plane requires 18 folds! The author even includes some tips for getting these planes to fly far.

Another book you might like: Super Simple Paper Airplanes

• NASA: How to Make a Dart Airplane
• NASA: How to Build a Paper Jet Model
• NASA: How to Make a Blunt Nose Airplane
• Exploratorium Try This! Paper Airplanes
• Alex’s Paper Airplanes
• Amazing Paper Airplanes: Instructions for Simple Designs
• Amazing Paper Airplanes: Instructions for Unusual Designs
• The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis: Airplane Models & Toys

You probably already know that President Abraham Lincoln was assassinated while he watched a play at the Ford Theater and that the man who shot him was John Wilke’s Booth. Did you know, though, that Booth made a run for it? Did you know he had helpers? And some of them were women? This is the story of how the law tracked each of these people down. At the time of Lincoln’s death, there was no such thing as DNA fingerprinting or ballistics tests for firearms. The lawmen had to piece together what happened and who was involved by interviewing people, following hunches and figuring out who was telling the truth. I like history books that make history interesting by telling a story with real live characters in it. This book is like that.

• Newseum: Manhunt! Chasing Lincoln’s Killer
• Read Chapter One of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer
• Listen to an Excerpt of Chasing Lincoln’s Killer
• John Wilke’s Booth’s Wanted Poster
• Map of Booth’s Escape Route