Have you ever walked into a room only to find a mess? You ask, who did this or what happened? You’re met with shrugs, or giggles, or maybe the family pet takes the blame. Today’s story lab is all about deciphering the evidence. Here’s what to do. A handful of ordinary objects may look completely unrelated until a storyteller connects them. Reach into the Evidence Bag and invent the story that explains why these clues belong together. Gather Your Gear * Bag, box, or pillowcase * 5–8 unrelated household objects * Detective’s Journal * Pencil, crayons, or markers Choose objects that don’t immediately suggest one obvious connection. Steps 1. Fill the Evidence Bag. One person secretly chooses several unrelated objects and puts them inside. 2. Reveal the evidence. Pull out the objects one at a time. 3. Examine each clue. What is it? How might someone use it? Where might you find it? 4. Make connections. Look for ways two or more objects could belong in the same story. 5. Build your case. Invent a story that explains why every object ended up together. 6. Tell the story. Arrange the evidence in the order it appears in your story, then share what happened. There is no hidden correct answer. You are creating the explanation. What’s in your bag?

No time to set up a scene at home? Use the printable mystery scene instead. Same investigation, no setup required, works at the table, in the car, or anywhere else you need a few quiet minutes. Something happened here, but nobody's telling you what. Look closely at the scene, separate what you notice from what you think, and use the evidence to build your best theory. Gather Your Gear: • What Happened Here? Mystery Scene printable • Detective's Journal • Pencil, crayons, or markers • Optional: magnifying glass Steps: 1. Examine the scene. Take a careful look before anyone starts explaining what they think happened. Look high, low, underneath, and around objects. 2. Record what you notice. Stick only to things you can actually observe. The cup is on its side. There are three wet footprints. The window is open. 3. Look again. Give yourself a second investigation. What did you miss the first time? 4. Sort evidence from ideas. Now discuss what each observation might mean. I notice: The chair is tipped over. I think: Someone may have left in a hurry. Can the same clue support more than one explanation? 5. Build your theory. What do you think happened? Use at least three pieces of evidence from the scene to support your explanation. 6. Compare theories. If more than one detective is playing, share theories. Notice where you agree, where you disagree, and which evidence each person used. 7. Revisit the scene. Is there anything that doesn't fit your theory? You can change your mind. Good detectives revise their thinking when the evidence points somewhere new.

Most Saturday’s you’ll find me over in @Henry Hunter’s community where he hosts a Saturday bake along. What we will be baking is posted early each week along with how-to’s and common questions. Then, on Saturday morning, bakers from around the world join together to bake. This week, the community was baking Banh Mi, but not me. I opted for a quick bake and made Blackberry scones. The recipe is in the Recipe Pantry or visit #Bread as Science with Chef Henry for ideas to bake with your kids and a link to the free recipe pantry. If bread isn’t your thing, @Elliott Robertson shared some creative ideas in his presentation on ways to make kitchen time a fun family time by setting aside one night a week as “date night” and experimenting with your food. You can get more ideas here #Playing in the Kitchen with Elliott

What an incredible experience today! ❤️ A HUGE thank you to the Unplug & Play Summit for inviting me to be part of this event and giving me the opportunity to bring my Remote Photography experience LIVE to your members! Today was especially exciting because it was my first LIVE Zoom event photographing multiple people remotely — and I loved every minute of it. 📸🌎 I was able to guide people LIVE through: ✨ Lighting ✨ Angles ✨ Posing ✨ Expressions ✨ Camera confidence All while photographing them remotely using their own phones! This is exactly WHY I developed my Remote Headshot system. I wanted my photography to reach beyond geography and give people the opportunity to experience a professionally directed photoshoot no matter where they live. Today showed me that this can be so much bigger than individual headshots. 📸 Individuals ❤️ Couples 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Families 🌎 Communities 🎤 Summits & LIVE events Thank you to the Unplug & Play Summit, the organizers, and everyone who showed up and trusted me to photograph them today. You gave me the opportunity to try something NEW with a system I created — and that means more to me than you know. ❤️ I have a feeling this was the first of many LIVE Remote Photography events! Photography by Cristal 📸 Your photographer can be anywhere. So can you. @Mary Nunaley 💜

Thanks to thanks to the early risers who joined @Janell Bitton and @Celia Kibler this morning. Their sessions will be uploaded to the classroom shortly. And, for those who are looking for more ways to instill a love of reading into their family, be sure to mark @Elizabeth Raum session on The Joys of Reading at 2 p.m. We've had lots of sessions and lots of conversations, and today, I wanted to lighten things up with a little game of This or That. Drop your comments below and I'll randomly choose a winner from the Wheel of Names on Saturday for a free All-Access pass. You have to choose! No loopholes. Would you rather... 1. Cook dinner with a 7-year-old sous chef OR let a teen choose the entire menu? 2. Give up your phone for 24 hours OR let your kid see your weekly screen-time report? 3. Learn crochet OR learn guitar? 4. Let your child ask an expert one question about you OR you get to ask an expert one question about them? 5. Bake bread without a recipe OR build something without instructions? 6. Your family gets an unexpected free Saturday: make something, cook something, play something, or go somewhere? 7. FINAL BOSS: You can keep only one Unplug & Play track for the rest of the Summit: Culinary, Tech, Experts, or Craft & Hobby. Which survives?