Nate the Great
by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
(Reading level: 6-9 years)
Enjoy reading Nate the Great and the suggested books with your
children.
Suggested Reading:
The Deductive Detective by Brian Rock
Mystery by Arthur Geisert
Mystery Riddles:
How can a man go eight days without sleep?
He sleeps at night.
What belongs to you, but other people use it more than you do?
Your name
How can you throw a ball as hard as you can and have it come back to you even if it doesn’t hit
anything there is nothing attached to it and no one else catches or throws it?
Throw the ball straight up into the air.
A boy fell off a 100-foot ladder. But he did not get hurt. Why not?
He fell off the bottom step.
Three men were in a boat. It capsized, but only two got their hair wet. Why?
One was bald.
A man was walking down the road dressed entirely in black. There were no lights on anywhere
and no moon. A car with no lights came down the road and managed to avoid hitting the man.
How?
It was daytime.
Practice your detective skills:
Give the children magnifying glasses to play Detective Scavenger Hunt Game (If you don’t have
one at home, you can find a set of cheap ones at Amazon or try the Dollar Store)
Detective Scavenger Hunt
(Print each clue as tiny as possible so that the children must use their magnifying glasses to
read.)
This is something that you wear.
They always come in a pair.
They help you when you need to run.
Can you find and bring me one?
(shoe)
Adventures, travels, just plain fun
Can be found in more than one.
Your teacher shares them every week.
Bring her one and take a peak.
(book)
This is cool and cushions your feet.
On a hot day, it can’t be beat.
All I need is just a blade.
At my feet it must be laid.
(grass)
Think of the color of the sky and
Bring me something matching that in your hand.
Anything will do
As long as it is the same hue.
(something blue)
More Games:
A Nose for Clues
Detectives have to use all their senses following clues. Test your detectives’ ability to identify
smells. Fill paper cups with smelly items and cover with a tissue. Have each detective smell the
cups and write down what they think is in the cup. Ex: tuna fish, vanilla, onion, mouthwash,
soap, etc.
Altered Evidence
Good detectives need to be aware of changes that can happen when trying to figure out a case.
Have your detectives practice noticing changes by filling a tray with a dozen small objects.
Cover the tray with a cloth and place on a table. Remove the cloth and let the children study it
for a few minutes. While the children have their backs turned remove or move one of the
objects. Can the children figure out what has changed?
Secret Code
Give each child a ruler. Have them make a vertical line
over the 0. Without moving the paper or ruler have the
children write a message by placing each letter of the
message over the inch marks. Remove the ruler and fill
in random letters between the letters of the message.
The message can be read by placing the ruler at the 0
mark and reading the letters over the inch marks.
Catch the Thief
Put enough slips of paper in a bowl for each child playing. All the slips should be blank except
for one. Write “criminal” on that slip. Have each child draw a slip of paper from the bowl.
Everyone should walk casually around the room. The child who is the criminal should try to
make eye contact and wink at one of the other children without being seen. That person should
silently count to five and then sit down. The other children can try and guess who the criminal
is.
Bible verse suggestion: Have children write the verse on coloring page or draw their own
detective picture. (search for Detective Coloring Pages)
Matthew 7:7
Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Enjoy a snack while reading from the suggested books:
Snack: Hide the snack. Have the children follow clues to find it.
Make magnifying glass cookies using your favorite sugar cookie recipe, blue icing, and popsicle
sticks.
Suggested Reading:
Pet Detective by Betty Ren Wright
The UFO Mystery by Mary Blount Christian
Mystery at the Sandwich Club by Doug Cushman
The Mystery of King Karfu by Doug Cushman Who
Pushed Humpty Dumpty by David Levinthal
Optional Activity:
Play the game Guess Who
