DNA extraction- exploring our heritage

We had a lesson on our heritage- both familial and biological. We extracted DNA using the process below, and during some of the waiting steps, told stories from family histories.

If your daughter needs to do a pedigree chart to help fufill one of the requirements for the Faith in God program, I recommend using Family Search. You'll need their confirmation number (which you can find if you log in to your lds.org account directory).

We used the following process for the DNA extraction:

Materials
drinking water,
clear dish soap,
food coloring,
table salt, and
70% isopropyl alcohol
clear disposable cups,
pipettes,
glass pendants & lids,
jump rings, and
necklace(chain or string) to hang pendant from.

Step 1: Mix 500 ml drinking water with 1 tbsp salt (premixed)

Step 2: Stir until salt is dissolved. Then transfer 3 tbsp of salt water into a clear cup

Step 3: Swish the salt water around your mouth for 1 minute. [You really have to encourage the girls to move the water around in their mouths. I would suggest even lightly "biting" the insides of their cheeks to loosen more of the dead skin cells. Most of the girls got very few DNA strands because they weren't agitating the water in their mouths enough.]

Step 4: Spit the water back into the cup. Now your cheek cells are suspended in the salt water.

Step 5: Gently stir the salt water with one drop of soap. (Avoid bubbles as much as possible). [I had them using their pipettes that will later be used to transfer the DNA necklace as a stirring stick here.]

Step 6: In a separate cup, mix 100 ml isopropyl alcohol and 3 drops of food coloring. (premixed)

Step 7: Tilt the salt water cup and gently pour the alcohol so that it forms a layer on top (about 2 cm thick).

Step 8: Wait about 2.5 minutes. You should see white clumps and strings forming.
That's your DNA!

Step 9: use the pipette to gently extract the DNA from the alcohol and then squeeze it into a glass vial used to make necklace.

***Ivy's and my necklace pendants both evaporated through the cork lid. This could be remedied with a different type of vial and lid (one that seals better) or by replenishing the colored alcohol on days the necklace is to be worn, since the DNA did not evaporate and is still in the vial.

Turkish Delight was Delightful

Math Activity

We had a night of math, starting with a discussion of fractals and self-similarity. We learned to draw Sierpinski's triangle and also had a gander at the Mandelbrot set. Here is an interactive link so you can zoom in on different parts of the Mandelbrot set.

Serpinski's triangle

Mandelbrot set

zoomed in section of the Mandelbrot set

Then we had a quick discussion of topology (spheres, donuts, and double-holed jugs, oh my!),

followed by a few hands-on Moebius strip activities (made moebius strips then drew a line on them to show they only have one side, then cut the line).

We also tried this activity. We had a tape malfunction, so it may be fun to reprise this at home!

We finished activity by making solids with toothpicks and gummy hearts, talking about faces, edges, and vertices. Thanks to many helping hands, we also triumphantly assembled a dodecahedron.

Dodecahedron completed!

Caroling to the Seniors

We spent an hour doing a holiday caroling program for the seniors at the Park Avenue Health Center. The residents were so happy to have the kids come sing to them, and many joined in to sing the carols. A great community experience!

Holiday Party

We made ornaments and decorated gingerbread cookies. The ornaments and any donations went to a special organization called Joete's Playground. The cookies went into our bellies.

Scandinavian Christmas Traditions

Special thanks to Margaret Moore for teaching the girls about Scandinavian Christmas traditions. We made woven paper hearts and she read them a story. We ate genuine Swedish pepparkakor and then practiced for the Santa Lucia procession, which was the highlight of the Wreathmaking program.

Evensong at Trinity Church

We met at the church and enjoyed a fine meal of parking lot pizza and carrots, with special turkey guest! We then shuffled into to cars for the drive to Boston where we attended the Trinity Church Evensong.

The Evensong consists of songs (mostly by the youth choir) and readings. The congregation did join for one familiar hymn (Now the Day is Over). Esme Flandro, Arlington Ward alumna and Stake member, was part of the choir and she stopped briefly to say hello to us before the service started, so that was a nice connection.

Well, we do say Visitors Welcome

Crockadilly Oh My!

Picture from Keith Jensen:

Activi-TREE at Belmont Habitat

We met at the Belmont Habitat for a tree identification activity. The girls learned to identify white pines, red pines, paper birch, maple, red oak, white oak, hickory, beech, and cedar trees. They also quickly became proficient at Jewelweed seed popping. Thanks to Keith Jensen and Heather Dahle for joining us, and to Keith for the great photos!

The Summit! Turtle Pond, elevation gained: -12 feet

trees and stuff

deep engrossed by the tree guides

I promise I'm having fun

Paper birch

Jewelweed popping- by far the biggest hit of the activity

tree gazing

Up the trunk of maple