Preparation: Place the small objects inside the bag or
box, making sure that the items are not visible. Each item should be
unique and different from the others. You can use items like small toys,
office supplies, or any small objects you have on hand.
Introduction: Gather the children and introduce the
activity. Explain that they will be solving a mystery using their critical
thinking skills. You can create a simple backstory or scenario to make it
more engaging, such as "We found this bag of items, and we need to
figure out who it belongs to."
Rules: Explain the rules of the game. The children will take turns
reaching into the bag (without looking) and selecting one object. They
will then examine the object and, without showing it to others, write down
clues or descriptions about it on their paper.
Taking Turns: Allow each child to take a turn drawing
an object from the bag and writing their clues. Encourage them to be as
descriptive as possible.
Discussion: After everyone has taken a turn, gather
the children and discuss their findings. Ask them to share the clues they
wrote down and have a group discussion about the mystery. Encourage them
to make deductions based on the clues and speculate about who the bag
might belong to or what the story behind it is.
Conclusion: After the discussion, reveal the mystery
by showing the objects in the bag and sharing the actual story or
scenario.
Reflect and Learn: Discuss with the children the critical
thinking skills they used during the activity, such as observation,
deduction, and problem-solving. Ask them what they learned about critical
thinking and how they can apply these skills in other situations.
