CSI, Crime Scene and Forensic Investigation Workshops

CSI Training and Events offer fun, unique and engaging informal STEM Workshops which enrich school experiences, whilst boosting student’s enthusiasm and confidence ‘to do Science’. We relate Science to ‘real life’ through crime and justice, utilising hands on CSI techniques, real Police equipment and true crime situations. 

Our captivating ‘hands on’ practical workshops are developed and delivered by experienced CSI’s and Forensic practitioners (who are also trained to degree and MSc level).

Although what we deliver is heavily STEM based with a bias towards Scientific Enquiry, we do deliver cross curricular activities, helping students to make sense of what they are learning through emphasising subject links.

We offer practical half day workshops, full day experiences and programmes of work that can run over several days. In addition to our structured packages we also offer bespoke services, tailored to meet your schools needs and objectives, particularly if you are currently focusing on a specific theme or topic. Sessions can be adapted to suit any level of education

We offer:

CSI Programme of Work – Our exciting programme of work runs over several days and see’s students follow a case from the crime scene, through to the forensic labs (analysing the evidence they have recovered from the crime scene), to the court room, completing a mock trial at the end of the sessions.

Full Day CSI Experience - Our full day experience is fast paced, fun and action packed, with many activities to keep students motivated and engaged. The event will start with hands on workshops and demonstrations, which will give students the skills that they need to go on and examine their own full simulated crime scene. Once all the evidence has been recovered students will then go on to forensically analyse the evidence in order to identify our offender and crack the case!

Half Day Events include:

Blood Pattern Analysis - In this fascinating workshop students will delve into the world of Blood Pattern Analysis and discover how blood patterns at a crime scene can build up a picture of events, telling us a story that the offender didn’t want us to know! Using simulated blood, students will create blood patterns, evaluating how things such as; height, volume and surface effects the distribution of blood in a crime scene. Following on, they will then be given a crime scenario in which they will have to apply their new skills and knowledge, to solve the crime and crack the case.  This workshop is excellent for Science and Maths!

Bones - A skeleton has been discovered in the woods, but who does it belong to? Is it animal or is it human? In this fascinating new workshop, students will explore the human skeleton and learn about the features investigators and anthropologist use to determine age and sex of skeletal remains. They will also explore the differences between human and animal skeletons. Before using their new-found knowledge to build and identify an unknown skeleton.

Court Processes - Order in the court!! This stimulating, fun, dramatic experience introduces students to the UK judiciary. Statements, witness testimony, court hierarchy and procedures will be looked at prior to your classroom being turned into a Crown Court room. Students will take part in their very own mock trial, acting out the roles of all court room key players and dressing up appropriately to enhance the experience. This workshop is great for English, Drama and Citizenship.

Fingerprint Frenzy - Our fingerprint workshop is one of our favourites to deliver and our best seller! It is practical, messy, hands-on and fun for everyone!  In this workshop students will discover the uniqueness of fingerprints and the history and application of them as one of the oldest forms of identification. The session starts with some funky facts and sees students working together to take each other’s inked custody fingerprints. Utilising Police equipment and techniques used by CSI’s in the field, they go on to investigate their own crime scenario, enhancing and recovering fingerprints which will later be analysed. Comparing the crime scene marks to 3 prime suspects, students will identify our offender and crack the case! Who committed this terrible crime?

Footwear Everywhere - Discover the story that footwear can uncover and learn how an offender’s footsteps can be traced through a crime scene, in this exciting footwear workshop! Students will discover how unique a footwear mark can be, and how valuable it is as a source of evidence in Crime Scene Investigation. Different recovery techniques will be explored, as students get hands on with soil and casting material, as well as specialist powders. After recovery, identification methods will be looked at, before students go on to use their new knowledge, to complete a footwear comparison and solve their very own crime scenario.

Short 1 hour long workshops

Several of these sessions can be delivered over a day, meaning a large number of students can take part. Depending on your location, 1 hour sessions must be booked over a half or full day. Subjects include:

Analysis of Evidence - Within this session participants are given a crime scenario where we have 3 potential suspects. Using the evidence available to them, the students must analyse the evidence from the crime scene, to identify what has happened and who is responsible for the crime. Students will analyse arson samples, fibres/hairs (using USB microscopes), blood patterns, impression evidence, footprints and fingerprints.

Fingerprint inking session - We will firstly deliver a short intro on how fingerprints are useful to us as investigators, before getting the students to take each other’s inked fingerprints (which they can keep). We will then discuss how fingerprints are analysed, before the students use their newfound knowledge to solve a crime scenario.

Bones workshop – Within this session, participants will learn about the human skeleton. They will explore the similarities between animal and human skeletons, before moving on to learn about what can help an anthropologist identify remains. The students will then be given a case briefing and will work together to build a skeleton and use the information they have learnt to identify our victim. Within this session we have two real human skeletons, and real animal bones, so we will need confirmation that its ok for us to use these.

From our half day workshops pupils will;

• Gain a basic understanding of Crime Scene and Forensic Investigation
• Begin to appreciate the link between Science, Criminal Justice and the Real World
• Begin to appreciate the role that individuals play in society and the importance of becoming a responsible citizen
• Develop a knowledge of evidence and gain an understanding of its importance in the criminal justice system
• Develop observation and pattern recognition skills
• Be able to apply learning in order to analyse information and problem solve

The STEM Enrichment Directory is provided as a service to support you in finding enrichment opportunities. The activities are offered by external providers and are not endorsed by STEM Learning. We are not responsible for their content or delivery.