Okay, I'm stretching here, I know, but stick with me.
I need an excuse to explain why I have been MIA in the blogosphere this week. I will be transparent. On Monday I started listening to a new radio show podcast in the evenings. It is called Serial and if you haven't heard of it, you should definitely check it out. I am now fully caught up, and have spent some time this evening thinking about what exactly makes the show so good. It reminds me a bit of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It just taps into something in the human consciousness that I am not sure I can really explain, but I think I am going to try anyway.
Murder mystery allows the listener (or reader, or viewer) to take an active roll in the fascinating process of solving a crime. Why is this process so fascinating? Perhaps because of our human value of justice. Or maybe it has something to do with the excitement of thinking maybe we, the non-professionals, may be able to figure out something that the professionals missed. I think it also has to do with the innate human drive toward scientific inquiry. From a very young age, we love to ask WHY. Many caregivers can attest that sometime during the early preschool years, this question can become the bane of one's existence. Interestingly, children are probably asking "why" long before they get really good at repeating it over and over until their adult's brain feels like a puddle of mush.
Even as adults, the question of "But WHY would he/she do it?" plagues our thoughts until a logical, or reasonable explanation emerges.
In childhood, simple everyday life is filled with mysteries. The natural world is brimming with twists and turns and unexpectedness-es. Children are constantly striving to make sense of the world, and nature is no exception.
Because the natural world is so mysterious, children are easily drawn into it. One reason that nature play is valuable is because is provides a space for child-directed inquiry. Often, children's "science" experiments are thwarted indoors because they are too messy. When children play outside, they are operating in a giant science lab, and the best thing we can do as caregivers is allow them as much autonomy as is possible and safe to allow them to experiment and explore.
In my opinion, a good murder mystery allows for the reader/listener/viewer to continue to form their own opinions and theories. Good nature play is the same way. As in so many things, the process is equally, if not more important, than the answer.