This paper outlines a classroom experiment tailored for the first class of undergraduate probability and statistics or econometrics courses. Inspired by the "mark and recapture" method used in ecology to estimate animal populations, our experiment actively engages students from the outset, igniting their interest in the subject matter. Furthermore, it provides instructors with a natural segue to introduce the course syllabus by aligning fundamental concepts — such as probability distribution, estimation, properties of estimators, hypothesis testing, and regression—with specific stages and computations within the experiment. We have implemented this activity in classrooms with approximately forty students, but instructors can adapt it to larger classes with the support of teaching assistants or volunteer students. Additionally, we offer instructors a user-friendly webpage (cick here) that simplifies data entry for the experiment, facilitating seamless sharing of results during class. Five rounds of the activity, including instructions and result discussions, span approximately thirty minutes. We use the remaining class time to introduce the syllabus and establish connections between syllabus modules and the experiment's steps and calculations.
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