Today is Monkey Girl’s birthday party.
11 9-year old girls, plus my three monkeys, all in my house.
The girls that she is friends with are sweet, sweet girls, so I know it will be fine.
It’s just a lot of 9-year old girls in one place, at one time!
As I’ve mentioned, Monkey Girl likes theme parties.
This year, it’s The 39 Clues!
It’s this great book series that she’s been reading and totally loves.
I must admit, not a bad series!
So, when everyone arrives, they’ll be paired up into teams and given a case file.
In the case file is a description of the crime, a list of the suspects and a list of the evidence.
Then, the girls have to figure out who committed the crime and how.
We have crime scene tape to section off Baby Monkey’s bedroom, as the scene of the crime, and we’ve made a masking tape outline on his bed of where his blue blankie was, before it was stolen.
After the mystery is solved, we have a “Tape the Magnifying Glass on the Detective” game, and then after cake and pizza, the girls all get their own code to crack that will tell them where their goodie bag is hidden in the house.
I have to say, these parties are a lot of fun. I wish I had thought of something like this when I was a kid!
So, as we do party preparations around here, I thought I’d share the case file and see if YOU can figure out the mystery. (I hope so, because it’s geared toward 9-year olds, and my guess is that you are all adults!) 🙂
Enjoy!
(And remember…names have been changed to protect the innocent!)
Case File #731137
The Victim:
“Baby Monkey” Bozza
The Crime:
As “Baby Monkey” Bozza headed to bed on Friday night, he found that his favorite nighttime lovey, “Blue Blankie,” was missing. The last time blue blankie was seen, it was laying on Monkey’s bed, waiting to be snuggled.
The Suspects:
Mommy “The Cleaner” Bozza – The Cleaner has previously been arrested for moving items while cleaning up the house, and then forgetting where she put them. As she was dragged off to jail, she was heard to yell, “But it’s messy! The house must be cleaned!” She is currently out on parole.
Monkey in the Middle “Big Brother” Bozza – Big Brother was on trial last year for allegedly taking the Monkey’s toys and hiding them because, as he said, “That’s what big brothers do.” The jury found him innocent, though, as they believed his courtroom testimony in which he said that he loved the Monkey and would never want to make him sad. Although he was not convicted, it is possible that Big Brother may have taken blue blankie, trying to keep things interesting because of the cabin fever the family has caught due to all the snow.
Monkey Girl “Jailhouse” Bozza – Jailhouse has served time for “accidentally” kicking toys under beds, into closets, and other strange places, as she walks around the house with her nose in a book or her DS. The judge has reminded her to be more aware of her surroundings, but it is possible that Jailhouse slipped, and is the culprit for the missing blue blankie.
The Evidence:
1. Dirty sock – This dirty sock was found laying in the doorway of Monkey’s bedroom. There was no other dirty laundry in the area.
2. A smear of blue liquid on the doorframe. Police were unable to get a fingerprint from the liquid, but it appears to have been left there by the thief.
3. A toy train from Big Brother’s room was found on the floor of Baby Monkey’s room. The rule is that before bedtime, all toys are to be put away, so police were unable to deduce why the train from one room was found in another.
Can you figure out who committed the crime AND how it was done???
