We spent our first morning back from vacation engaging in two Mystery Science explorations. The first activity challenged students to manipulate the strength and direction of a paper wrecking ball to knock down a "wall" of cups without hitting the row of houses behind the wall. In the second, they protected a model mountain town from a falling boulder by redirecting the boulder. A row of paper houses was set up at the base of a cardboard mountain. Pairs of students had five push pins that they tried to place to strategically direct the boulder (a large marble) away from the houses and into a cup. This activity was particularly engaging and some students continued playing through choice time.