Genetics for Kids

Covering genetics for kids can help youngsters understand why family members who are related by blood may share similar physical traits. This fascinating topic also explains why sometimes family members look different from each other, such as in the case of a family where someone has red hair every few generations.

Gregor Mendel studied peas.

Genetics is the branch of science that studies how traits are passed down from one generation to another. Humans have 23 sets of chromosomes in each cell in their body. Traits like a person's height, eye and hair color, and intelligence are all examples of those things that are determined by a person's genes. The code is found on a double strand that is known as DNA.

Gregor Mendel was an Austrian monk. He experimented with pea plants in the mid-1800's. He kept track of a number of traits over several generations, including:

• Color of the Seeds
• Plant Height
• Whether the Pod was Smooth or Pinched
• Shape of the Seeds

Over time, he noticed that certain plants produced new plants that were similar to the parents. For example, short "parent" plants produced more short plants, and tall "parent" plants have tall offspring.

When he bred plants with different traits, he found patterns in the appearance of the new plants. He concluded that some genes are dominant and other ones are recessive. Dominant genes hide other genes that are present, and the trait corresponding to that gene will appear. Traits represented by recessive genes will only appear when the dominant gene is not present.

• Unless you are an identical twin, your DNA is unique.
• Fingerprints are unique to each person, even identical twins.
• Your gender and physical characteristics are determined by your DNA.
• Genes exist in pairs; one half comes from a person's mother and the other half from the individual's father.
• Humans have at least 30,000 genes.
• Goldfish have more genes than humans do.

Lesson plans and other resources on the topic of genetics for kids are available online at a variety of grade levels. Here are some examples:

• The Basic Genetics in First and Second Grade lesson plan allows young children to learn about their bodies, including the basics of sexual reproduction. They will also have the opportunity to make a family tree of their parents and grandparents.

• Genetics Kids Style is a ThinkQuest project that explores the history of genetics, DNA, chromosomes, and cloning. Visitors to the site can test their knowledge by taking an online quiz.

• GenomicsEducation.ca has information for students and teachers at the high school level on a number of topics related to genetics. Cell division, prenatal screening, cloning, and stem cells are some of the areas that Web surfers will find information on here.

• BrainPOP Heredity features an online movie that explains to students why they inherited certain traits. It also covers the work of Gregor Mendel and Reginald Punnett.

• To learn more about the work of Gregor Mendel, check out his online biography.

• DNA From the Beginning is a animated online presentation explains to the viewer why children look like their parents, the fact that chromosomes carry genes, and that Gregor Mendel's findings can be applied to humans as well as the pea plants he studied. It also explains what RNA is, that bacteria and viruses also contain DNA, that genes can be turned on and off in some situations, and more.

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