I recently spotted this in the window of a toy shop:
Recommended for ages 10 and up. My youth was apparently misspent with Hot Wheels and model horses (and collisions thereof). I could have been getting a step up on grad school.
"See genetic material with your
own eyes as you isolate the DNA from a tomato in a test tube." (This is actually fun and easy and you don’t need a kit to do it.)
"Learn about dominant and recessive genes and play inheritance
games to determine how traits will be expressed." Then you can blame the correct parent for your near-sightedness, flat feet, etc.
"Breed your own bacteria colony to experiment with survival of
the fittest." Now, we’re talking!!! I would have loved this. My mother, however, would have argued that the disgusting storage space under my bed was, in fact, a giant petri dish.
Hey, I might enjoy it even now! LOL I do know a couple of grandkids that I think will be delighted with this at the next gift giving time. As long as they get some Hot Wheels and/or horses to go along with it.
At the Museum where I work, we sale this brand’s kits and they have a great variety of science and techno kits. While many of the projects don’t require the kits to do (aka you could use things you have around your house), parents love them!
Mendel was the one we can acknowledge for starting us out on this amazing journey of genetics…
As you probably know, he was studying the mechanisms of dominant and recessive by cross pollinating flowers.
In any event, this sounds like a fun thing for kids. And, a fun application of science is a good thing…
Steve Miller
https://www.facebook.com/GardenTipsAndTools
Something to add to my Christmas list! I need something to occupy my time during the winter.