Once upon a time in the chilly north of Canada, a mother and father went shopping, leaving their teenage son at home. He wanted to mount his new TV on the wall. Halfway to the mall, the mother remembered she had left the iron plugged in, so they returned home. They found the house freezing cold because the son had turned off the heating. After turning it back on, they left again. When they returned, they found water dripping from the ceiling and their son unconscious in a pool of water. The TV was hanging crookedly on the wall. Can you guess what happened?
The son had used a big chunk of ice to stand on while mounting the TV. He turned off the heat to keep the ice frozen, but when his mom turned it back on, the ice melted, causing him to slip and fall.
A detective was close to cracking an international criminal gang but suddenly went missing. He left behind a clue: the code “710.” The police had three suspects: John, Bill, and Adam. Can you break the detective’s code?
If you read the numbers upside down, they spell “Bill is boss. He sells oil.” So, Bill is the criminal!
A man was hit on the back of the head while strolling through the park. Witnesses described the attacker as having brown hair, blue eyes, and wearing a baggy suit. The main suspect, Sean Baker, matched this description. During interrogation, Sean claimed he saw another man with a red mustache and red hair attack the victim from the front. But one investigator knew Sean was lying. How?
Sean’s story didn’t add up because the victim was hit on the back of the head, not the front.
Amy and Carl heard strange noises from their daughter Stacy’s room at night. When Amy checked, Stacy was asleep, and the noise stopped. The next morning, Amy found a snakeskin under Stacy’s bed. Despite searching the house, they couldn’t find the snake. Can you guess where it was hiding?
The snake was hiding in the walls. At night, it would come out, but when everyone woke up, it hid inside the pipes and between the boards.
Sally went to the drugstore to get medicine for her grandma. The pharmacist gave her four identical pills: two for pressure and two for her leg. Sally mixed them up in her bag. When it was time for grandma to take the pills, Sally figured out a solution. What did she do?
Sally split all the pills in half and gave her grandma one half of each pill, ensuring she got the right medication.
Sally’s grandma had three hens that laid three eggs in three days. Sally decided to get her grandma 12 more hens. Can you help her figure out how many eggs grandma will get in the next 15 days?
One hen lays one egg in three days, so in 15 days, one hen will lay five eggs. With 15 hens, grandma will get 75 eggs in 15 days.
Jack was trapped in a cell with a dirt floor and a high window. The cell was empty except for a shovel. He had two days to escape. Digging a tunnel would take too long. How should Jack escape?
Jack should use the shovel to make a pile of dirt under the window, climb on it, and escape.
On the first day of school, a geography teacher vanished. The police had four suspects: the gardener, the math teacher, the coach, and the principal. All had alibis, but the culprit was arrested immediately. How did the police solve the mystery?
The math teacher was lying. He claimed to be holding a mid-year test, but it was the first day of school.
A lonely old man lived in the suburbs. One Friday, the mail carrier called out for him but got no answer. Looking through the window, the carrier saw the house in disarray. The police found a Tuesday newspaper, two bottles of warm milk, and one bottle of cold milk. The robber was arrested the next day. How did the police solve it?
The mail carrier was the robber. He knew no one would read a newspaper on Wednesday or Thursday, so he only came on Friday.
A famous chemist went missing, leaving behind a note with chemical substances. The police arrested his nephew Nicholas. How did they know?
The note’s chemical symbols spelled out “Nicholas.”
A man was found unconscious in his car, hit by a rock. The car windows were intact, and the door was locked. How did this happen?
The car was a convertible, and the rock was thrown when the roof was down.
In a city with a strike affecting schools, hotels, and transport, the mayor was attacked. Three suspects were arrested: Brandon, John, and Dylan. Who attacked the mayor?
Dylan was lying. He claimed to be waiting for a bus, but buses weren’t running due to the strike.
Gather your classmates and create a short skit to act out the “Wet Mystery” story. Focus on the sequence of events and the clever solution. This will help you understand the importance of logical thinking and problem-solving.
Work in pairs to create your own secret codes using numbers or symbols. Exchange codes with another pair and try to decode each other’s messages. This activity will enhance your critical thinking and decoding skills.
Read the “Lousy Alibi” story again and discuss with your group why Sean’s alibi was flawed. Then, come up with your own alibi for a fictional scenario and present it to the class. See if your classmates can find any inconsistencies.
Research where snakes typically hide in homes and why they might choose those spots. Create a poster or presentation to share your findings with the class. This will help you learn more about animal behavior and habitats.
Try solving the “Chicken Matter” problem with different numbers of hens and days. Create your own math puzzle based on this concept and challenge your classmates to solve it. This will improve your mathematical reasoning and problem-solving skills.
Mystery – Something that is difficult or impossible to understand or explain – Solving the mystery of the missing number in the equation required careful analysis.
Code – A system of symbols and rules used to represent instructions to a computer or to conceal information – The students learned how to write a simple code to solve math problems using a computer program.
Suspect – To have an idea or impression of the existence, presence, or truth of something without certain proof – When the answer to the math problem seemed too high, I began to suspect there was a mistake in my calculations.
Alibi – An excuse or piece of evidence that one was elsewhere when a crime or an error occurred – My alibi for the incorrect answer was that I had misread the problem statement.
Escape – To break free from confinement or control – To escape confusion, it is important to carefully read and understand each step in a math problem.
Math – The abstract science of number, quantity, and space – Math helps us develop critical thinking skills by challenging us to solve complex problems.
Problem – A question proposed for solution or discussion – The math problem required us to use algebra to find the value of x.
Solution – A means of solving a problem or dealing with a difficult situation – After working through the steps, we found the solution to the equation.
Critical – Involving careful judgment or judicious evaluation – Critical thinking is essential when determining the best method to solve a challenging math problem.
Thinking – The process of considering or reasoning about something – Thinking logically and systematically is crucial when tackling complex math problems.
