By Lisa Black
Several years ago I was sent with the crime scene van to do a little show-and-tell with children of varying ages in a summer program at Fort Myers Imaginarium. Cleaning out my desk in advance of my retirement later this year, I found an envelope full of the thank-you notes the children sent me.
Like most children’s notes, artwork was included. Three drew pictures of the large crime scene van, but only the girl labeled it “Crime Lab” while the two boys, apparently hoping for more excitement, labeled it “SWAT.”
Some direct quotes (misspellings not corrected):
I enjoyed leaning how to pick up finger prints.
The one thing I like the most was the…light machine thing and you put the glow powder on it to see fingerprints.
Thank you for showing me all the cool gadgets. I liked the blood samples.
I really liked the blood sample equipment. I think it rocked and should be shown more up close and personal to us.
Thank you for the presintaition it was wonerful expecaly about the guy who got stabbed and you used your camera for the knife.
[I guess I’d told them about a case of an apparent suicide except the knife was missing and turned out to be under the stove, but I didn’t want to put my head down to the bloody floor to look so I took a picture instead, and the knife was clearly visible. Why I was telling such a blood-filled story to small children, I don’t know. Her card included a picture of a pot of fingerprint powder, but also a sketch of a stick figure with a knife in his chest saying ‘help’. Her parents probably want to bill me for the therapy.]
Thank you for letting us see your gacthets.
Here’s some ideas I want to see
I can’t be sure but maybe that’s a boat with radar?
We do have a marine unit, but no robots.
Thank you for letting me in your van. Put air conditioning on.
Thank you for showing up. Can you say ‘freeze’ next time.
I liked the blood tester thingy.
Ah, children. So honest.
What’s the most amazing or laugh-out-loud funny thing you’ve heard a child say?
What a clever presentation for kids (wish I could have heard it too – I would have learned a ton). As for comments from children – when I brought my new baby boy home from the hospital for the first time and had him in a bassinette, his 22 month old brother peered at him and asked, “Is it a chicken?”
Kids are so funny because of their honesty! I haven’t been around kids in such a long time, so it’s hard to remember something to share. I do want to say, “Happy Retirement!” That is awesome. Well deserved. See you at Sleuthfest. Hoping hear what you have planned for the next phase of your life.
Love this!! Kids are brutally honest yet cute!! I remembered years ago, we were taking some kids on a field trip, and one of them was looking for his group leader (the adult, like me). He said, “Is it that fat lady over there?”