Today is the day I’ve been waiting in anticipation for since the beginning of the school year. It’s the day of APhA-ASP OTC Medicine Safety’s very first Medicine Mystery outreach at Olney Library (please see my post When Language Meets Medicine for some background about OTC Medicine Safety).

A nineties child, I grew up watching Scooby-Doo reruns on Cartoon Network and reading as many children’s mystery books as I could get my hands on from the library – Nancy Drew, The Babysitter’s Club Mysteries, The Adventures of Mary-Kate and Ashley, A Series of Unfortunate Events… you name it, I read it. It’s really my love for a good mystery that served as inspiration for OTC Medicine Safety’s inaugural Medicine Mystery outreach.

So, what is it? Medicine Mystery is an event that gives children the opportunity to learn about various OTC medicine safety topics such as poison safety and prevention, proper administration of liquid medications, and differentiation between candy and medicine (e.g., gummy vitamins vs. fruit snacks). Upon completion of a station activity, children will receive a clue to record in their detective’s notebook. Collecting all six clues will lead them to the culprit (aka the naughty child who took medicine from Jackie’s cabinet without asking for permission from a trusted adult).

Unfortunately, it would be much too complicated to throw in suspect motives, red herrings, and other elements that make for an exciting mystery. But we’re hoping the event will be fun and educational for participants nonetheless! For cracking the case, each child will receive a Junior Detective certificate to take home. Shout out to OTC Medicine Safety’s amazing committee members who helped with organizing and advertising this event, as well as to the volunteers who will be there today.

Thanks for reading; hope you all have a restful weekend!