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ScienceMath

Counterfeit Product Lab

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Grades 6-860-75 minSource: Creative Dad Company

Teams compare a genuine and a counterfeit version of an everyday product, using measurements and material clues to figure out what gives the fake away.

Budget levels

Amazon prices checked Oct 9-10, 2026 and may change

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change. As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Quick Start

Digital downloads only.

$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.

Student time: one class period, one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one class period on a single day.

Scale back: Fit it into a shorter period, use fewer effects, or run a demo instead of a build.

Scale up: Add one extra effect, or spread the share-out across another day.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

  • measuring cup or graduated cylinderBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • rulerBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • magnifierBorrow or school hasuse what you have
  • design brief and decision matrix worksheetsPrintinguse what you have

Full Experience

Required materials for the class.

$19.98 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day.

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one school day.

Scale back: Fit the build into one period with fewer effects.

Scale up: Spread the work across days, or add more effects.

  • Kitchen scale reading to 0.1 gRequired2 x 1 scale1 scale$9.99Amazon

Total Transformation

The bigger kit, with every optional item included.

$19.98 per class (class of about 30, 6 groups).

Student time: one day (one session, one-day event).

Teacher prep / build-ahead: separate from student time.

Scale it

The default plan is one session, a one-day event.

Scale back: Shorten the event, or run a demo for a smaller audience.

Scale up: Spread the build and the event across days, or invite a bigger audience.

Choose your version

Every level teaches the same core idea — pick the one that fits your time, budget, and energy today.

Student time: 40 min, one class periodTeacher prep / build-ahead: 20 min$0 to buy. Printing noted separately.One table or a clear section of floorBeginner-friendly

Setup

Print or hand-copy the essential prompt for Counterfeit Product Lab, then set out only paper, pencils, and the common or recycled items needed for one test. Use a tabletop representation whenever the original version mentions a room, specialized device, or digital tool; the learning comes from the decisions and evidence, not elaborate scenery.

Activity

  1. Examine both product samples side by side and predict which measurable differences will reveal the counterfeit.
  2. Measure weight, dimensions, and material details for both samples and record the data.
  3. Compare the measurements, find one difference is smaller or less obvious than expected, and design a more precise test to confirm it.
  4. Present the lab's findings, ranking which clues most reliably expose a counterfeit.

Ambiance video

Ambiance video coming soon from Creative Dad Studio

Done when: The group has completed Counterfeit Product Lab when it can present the lab's findings, ranking which clues most reliably expose a counterfeit and point to the observation, measurement, comparison, or trial that supports its conclusion.

Materials

two similar but different versions of a simple product, scale, ruler, magnifying glass; Kitchen scale reading to 0.1 g; measuring cup or graduated cylinder; magnifier; design brief and decision matrix worksheets

Shown for the Quick Start version — switch tabs above to see what changes.

Materials links go to Amazon. Prices are estimates and may change.

As an Amazon Associate, Creative Dad Company earns from qualifying purchases.

Steps

  1. Examine a genuine and a counterfeit sample (for example two batteries, markers, or snack packs labeled A and B) and predict which measurable differences will reveal the fake.
  2. Mini-lesson: characteristic properties such as density (mass divided by volume), hardness, and color do not depend on sample size, so they can identify a material. Each team writes which properties could expose their counterfeit.
  3. Write a design brief for a Counterfeit Detection Test. Criteria must be measurable, for example detects a mass difference of 1 g or a density difference of 0.1 g/cm3, and gives the same answer in 3 of 3 trials within 10 minutes. Constraints include nondestructive, under $5 of materials, and safe for club use.
  4. Add to the brief the science principle the test relies on and at least one impact on people (shoppers hurt by fake batteries or food) and one on the environment (waste from destroyed samples) that limits which tests are acceptable. The teacher signs off when every criterion has a number.
  5. Build two different test methods, such as water-displacement density versus dimensions plus mass, and run each three times on both samples. Record all measurements in a data table.
  6. Score both methods in a decision matrix against every criterion and constraint in the brief, total the scores, and choose the stronger method.
  7. Find one difference that was smaller than expected, tighten that criterion or refine the method to be more precise, and retest.

Standards mapped

  • NGSS · MS-ETS1-1

    Define the criteria and constraints of a design problem with sufficient precision to ensure a successful solution, taking into account relevant scientific principles and potential impacts on people and the natural environment that may limit possible solutions.

  • NGSS · MS-ETS1-2

    Evaluate competing design solutions using a systematic process to determine how well they meet the criteria and constraints of the problem.