A very small art theft
A priceless portrait of a carrot has disappeared from the shoebox gallery. The thief has left a suspiciously rectangular clue.
Every gallery needs a mystery, and this one is the smallest heist in the house. A shoebox becomes a grand museum, a tiny carrot portrait goes missing, and the only clue is the empty outline left on the wall.
Children love playing detective before breakfast: spotting the missing shape, following the evidence and catching the elf red-handed with its loot.
It takes ten minutes with scrap paper and sticky tape, gets everyone looking closely at shapes, and leaves you with an elf who is clearly a terrible thief.
How to set it up
- Draw a tiny framed carrot and cut it out. Trace its outline on a second sheet and tape that sheet inside the upright box.
- Put the elf beside the gallery with the carrot picture tucked behind its back and a corner showing.
- Ask a junior detective what shape is missing and where the evidence is hiding.