songsparrow Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 I am hoping that Woodland Mist will notice this, as she has mentioned that her daughter enjoys forensics, and also anyone else who has done a unit study on forensics . . . Any recommendations for materials to learn about forensics? My daughter kind of sprung this on me at the last minute, as it's a new interest for her, and I like to incorporate her interests as much as I can. I don't want to devote a huge amount of time to it, but a one-hour-a-week unit study would be fine. I am looking for completely self-contained materials, if possible, because I don't have much time to put into it. Perhaps some DVDs? Activities? Thanks for any suggestions! ETA: Also, any recommendations of good fiction books that feature crime scene analysis would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Not sure if this is any help but my dd just started doing a Coursera class in Forensic Science from the University of Singapore. They are only one week in so it should be possible to sign up still. I have heard of people downloading and saving the lectures to use at their own pace. Dd wants the certificate. The course is free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 I am hoping that Woodland Mist will notice this, as she has mentioned that her daughter enjoys forensics, and also anyone else who has done a unit study on forensics . . . Any recommendations for materials to learn about forensics? My daughter kind of sprung this on me at the last minute, as it's a new interest for her, and I like to incorporate her interests as much as I can. I don't want to devote a huge amount of time to it, but a one-hour-a-week unit study would be fine. I am looking for completely self-contained materials, if possible, because I don't have much time to put into it. Perhaps some DVDs? Activities? Thanks for any suggestions! ETA: Also, any recommendations of good fiction books that feature crime scene analysis would be appreciated. I noticed! ;) We don't do unit studies, so I'm not help there. Hmm.... If you're just looking at one hour a week, I would suggest assigning a book to be read during her free time and either doing a lab relating to the book during that hour or just discuss the book. It's hard to do much in an hour a week.... We actually incorporate forensics into our choices of materials. For example, we use James Madison Critical Thinking Course for part of our critical thinking studies. (It's far from perfect, but it does what I want it to.) It also depends on the goal. Does she just want a broad overview, or is there an area in particular that interests her? I just reread your post. At this point an hour a week sounds reasonable. It's a new interest, so I wouldn't revamp everything to revolve around it. Instead, I might focus on finding resources she can use during her free time. My daughter mostly reads nonfiction forensics books. She is a fan of the original Sherlock Holmes books, though. Other than those, I'm not sure she's read any fiction forensic type books. She sometimes gets irritated with fiction that isn't realistic/accurate. That's part of the reason the James Madison course was a bit of a disappointment. It is a little cheesy and too contrived. I'm not sure that helps at all. :o My daughter just reads and reads. She also attends lectures/labs we find offered periodically by various organizations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songsparrow Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 I did purchase the James Madison Critical Thinking course after seeing your recommendations for it. I figured that she would enjoy it and probably hardly notice that I was sneaking in logic at the same time! LOL I will definitely introduce her to the Sherlock Holmes stories this year. They are already on her reading lists of books to choose from. I think I'll point them out to her at the beginning of the year, and if she doesn't opt to read it on her own I might elevate some of the stories to be among the assigned stories we read and discuss in class. What nonfiction books on the subject would you recommend? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom22ns Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 You might take a look at this website. We did forensics as a high school class using this textbook. When I researched, I saw the website I linked recommended a lot, but we found it pretty basic. It could be good for middle school though and free is always nice :). WinterPromise has a Forensic Science/Anatomy course you might look at. I found quite a few interesting websites googling that I used to supplement our course, but I didn't keep my list after we finished - sorry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 What nonfiction books on the subject would you recommend? Does she have a particular interest or just general forensics? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songsparrow Posted August 25, 2014 Author Share Posted August 25, 2014 She mentioned ballistics and explosions. But I think probably general forensics too. She's recently been watching a number of TV shows with forensics and is interested in learning more. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 She mentioned ballistics and explosions. But I think probably general forensics too. She's recently been watching a number of TV shows with forensics and is interested in learning more. Thanks! Don't thank me yet! I might not be of any help!! ;) I don't really have any suggestions for ballistics and explosions other than our chemistry book. ;) My daughter has only done a tiny bit with those, and she hasn't read any books pertaining specifically to them. Without knowing interests, my daughter suggested The Bone Lady because it is written from the perspective of a female forensic anthropologist. Dead Men Do Tell Tales is another favorite. Disclaimer to anyone reading this post: These books are not geared toward children. As always, please use your own judgement and knowledge of your child when making book selections. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arcadia Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Haven't tried this Illustrated Guide to Home Forensic Science Experiments (PDF, 1st ed from author) http://www.thehomescientist.com/forensics/Illustrated_Guide_to_Home_Forensic_Science_Experiments.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mumto2 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 http://bsapp.com/forensics_illustrated/ Someone recommended this on a previous thread at least a year ago. Took me awhile to find mt bookmark. Never tried it but it looks good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
travelgirlut Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Home Science Tools has a bunch of forensic science kits. We haven't tried any, but they're on my list for the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beth78 Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Easy Peasy H.S. has a forensics course. She could just do the parts that interest her and its free. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Woodland Mist Academy Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 I wasn't going to mention this because I don't think it's what you are looking for, but we are happy with our chemistry selection this year. The book touches briefly on ballistics and explosions, so I decided to mention it just in case you or someone else finds it useful. Investigating Chemistry: A Forensic Science Perspective by Matthew E. Johll Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
songsparrow Posted September 11, 2014 Author Share Posted September 11, 2014 I learned through a local homeschool list about online forensics courses taught by Thom and Linda Jones. Their courses include Introduction to Forensic Science (for teens), Tween Forensic Science, and Unsolved Crimes. They look fascinating. The courses are $100-120 for 10-12 weeks + $15 for the forensic supplies kit. One of the things I asked about was whether there is any hands-on or lab work in the Intro to Forensics Science class, since it's an online course. Thom said that after 8 weeks of classes they send out a kit of forensic supplies in order to do hands-on evidence collection and detection techniques. He also mentioned mock crime scenes - I'm not sure how that works, whether he sets them up and then the kids view them online or what. I thought I'd share it because I thought some people here might be interested! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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