Whodunnit? – Yr3 Fairy Tale Finale

Author: Jill Bates

Police tape, magnifying glasses and suspicious fingerprints were just a few items surrounding Year 3 this week. The children were aghast to hear that Year 3 had once again been contacted by Lincolnshire Police to continue to crack the case of the fairy tale crime scene. Eager to find out, we watched a live video from Detective Inspector Casey, informing us that our descriptive alibis had helped to narrow the search to just six suspects. He detailed that CCTV around Bourne continues to show evidence of fairy tale behaviours. He suggested that we continue to search Abbey grounds as clues may still be scattered around.

Riddles guided on us on a fairy tale trail, we were able to solve these quickly and efficiently. Inside the hidden envelopes were photographs of the captured characters trapped inside scorching ovens. “We must solve this crime quickly and save them all,” was a message shared by the children. As the children crossed off characters from their suspect lists, there was only one character it could possibly be. The Gingerbread Man. ‘Run, run as fast as you can,’ was a message hidden inside the final envelope. Panic and excitement spread across the year group as they saw a life size Gingerbread darting across the playground.

Where did he go? It seemed as if he vanished into thin air. CCTV images had been passed on to our teacher. Would you believe us if we were to tell you that he had been to The Cutting Room, The Galletly Practice and a cheeky snooze in Bourne Woods? But what was his motive? Well, that became abundantly clear when we had videos showing humans and fairy tale characters such as Lord Farquaad tearing up gingerbread houses and breaking off their arms and legs. Maybe, just maybe he’s lonely. The children showed compassion and empathy towards him and wanted to be Agents of Change in the gingerbread community. We contacted Detective Inspector Casey once more to inform him that we know who is guilty, however we believe he has reason for his crimes. Unfortunately, we had to leave a voicemail as the Lincolnshire Police were busy in Costa having a donut and a brew.

There was no rest for the wicked, we decided to make scrumptious gingerbread friends and family as well as build a new gingerbread village. Maybe, this would lure him back to the Year 3 area. We also used our Take Care Handwriting to share our character witness statements describing the days events. A large basket of gingerbread people and beautifully decorated homes were placed outside in hope that he might be lured back. Minutes of silence passed, then to our amazement he appeared. Little breadcrumbs scattered around as he jumped with joy to see his gingerbread community rebuilt. He was overcome with emotion and thankfulness so much so that he returned the captured fairy tales and thanked Year 3 with multi-coloured sweets. As his arms spread wide, the Year 3 children were eager to show him the love he had missed so dearly. A large cheer was heard for miles as the children celebrated with The Gingerbread Man. “I love all of this,” cried Harvey. Detective Inspector Casey facetimed us to thank us for solving the crime. He wanted to reward the children with donuts and 5 Dojo Points each.  The police had spoken to The Gingerbread Man and were closing the case as the fairy tale characters had all been returned home safely. ‘And they all lived happily ever after.’

Check out more posts by Bourne Abbey Church of England Primary Academy:

Year 6 Speaks Up!

Wake Up Wednesday: Top Tips for Safety Over the Festive Period

Our Peterborough Museum Roman Experience