Hobbies And Interests
Sports-Themed
If you have an athletic crowd of teens in your care, try a sports-themed mystery dinner. Have the kids come dressed in hats and jerseys to add to the effect of the dinner. In this mystery, the best pitcher for the favored team is murdered; he dies right before the big game. Have the teens play roles of suspects—such as a manager for either team, a jealous teammate, the player’s best friend, a rival player, an ex- or current girlfriend or a jilted fan. Give the teens clues about their characters&' involvements throughout the course of the dinner so they can begin making "whodunnit" guesses.
Cell Phone Snatcher
In this mystery, a young lady/man wins a cell phone that isn’t even on the market yet. With the cell phone comes a celebration party where the phone comes up missing. Have the kids bring their phones with them and as they arrive have them write their numbers in a notebook. Purchase a few pre-paid cell phones—you can find them for a fraction of the price of a regular cell phone at a discount store, and you&'ll need only about 10 minutes of air time for each—and give them to the kids who have forgotten theirs or don’t have one. Break the kids into groups or tables and provide a notebook. Call a number for each team with a clue, and have someone from each team record the clues. With every break, have them compare notes and see who can solve the mystery first.
Celebrity Kidnapping
Have the kids come dressed as their favorite celebrity. Pass out name tags and have them write their celebrity names on them. When addressing the kids during the dinner use their new namesake. In this mystery have an up-and-coming new pop artist or actress mysteriously kidnapped. Everyone—from the agent, a member of the paparazzi or rival celebrity—is a suspect. Draft up a ransom note with a handful of clues and give it to each table.