8.2.11

DNA Model

     After sharing this picture on my blog earlier, I received a lot of comments asking about my daughter's DNA model. The pattern picture is included especially for Linda.

     It was created as a lab assignment for her Apologia General Science course, which is enhanced with an online class. Her online teacher shared a picture that another student submitted of a model they made with twizzlers, toothpicks, and mini-marshmallows. We liked that idea even better than the pipe cleaner one discussed in the book, but I encouraged her to use materials we already had in the house.

     We have a shelf at the end of the hall overflowing with arts and crafts items including a bag of multi-colored wires from my Dad. Mitch confirmed they are the wires inside telephone wires. The girls also have a lot of beads in all of their jewelery making collections.

     We twisted the wires a few different ways to try out possibilities when she started the project. One idea was to just have one strand of wire going across each time, but that made the sides uneven. What she ended up doing was using two wires, folded in half to make four strands, two on each side. She threaded the beads on one wire and wrapped one corresponding wire from the opposite side around that beaded middle strand. When she got the wire to the opposite side, she twisted the side strands on each side until she was ready to cross and bead the next level.

     After coming up with that plan, I recommended she make a drawing with lines spaced about a centimeter apart that she could use as a guide to lay the pieces on and bend them at even intervals. I just looked at her drawing the first time to take pictures for you. I saw the order to the colors and recognized she had made a pattern based on the info we had reviewed earlier, but I didn't realize she had mapped out on paper each beads color and placement.

     After she completed the beading and twisting the wires, she twisted the ladder shaped model into a spiral.

     I asked Heather to preview this and make sure I didn't leave anything out, and she caught her own mistake. Above, where it says thyme, read thymine. We are all dreaming of spring.

Jennifer

13 comments:

  1. I love your daughter's DNA model!

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  2. SO VERY COOL! (Here from HHM)

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  3. We just did that same DNA model a few weeks ago! Love Apologia science!!

    Thanks for stopping by my blog last week & commenting on my depression series.

    Blessings!

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  4. Much more fun than the pipe cleaner activity in the book!

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  5. God's design of our DNA is a marvelous creation and your daughter's creative design of DNA structure is lovely. Apologia MUST like this one better than the pipe cleaner design. =)

    Blessings,
    PK
    http://kneedeepingrace.com

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  6. That is awesome. Great idea!

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  7. That is a wonderful model and very stylish too :)How creative!

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  8. Oh my...very cool!

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  9. Heather really has shown a lot of talent, ingenuity, and creativity in the development of the DNA model. Keep up all that scholarly fun.

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  10. Dear Mamma, I'm glad you are reading my blog. Science is fun with Heather. I love you!

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  11. Anonymous4/20/2011

    Great idea...and in the end you can make your DNA into a bracelet. Fun! :)

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  12. I love it! Someday when my kids are bigger, this would be great for them.

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