life science

Easy and Creative LEGO Eye Anatomy Activity for Curious Kids

January 8, 2026 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

In this hands-on activity, kids will build a LEGO eye anatomy to explore its parts while strengthening creativity and spatial skills. Also, look at my page From Simple to Spectacular: Easy LEGO Ideas for Everyone.

Too, I have this Human Body Crafts page for more hands-on ideas. And this Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study.

Learning about how our eyes work can be fascinating, especially when it involves LEGO bricks- It’s learning through play at its finest.

Easy and Creative LEGO Eye Anatomy Activity for Curious Kids

It’s the perfect mix of STEM and anatomy learning for curious young minds; however, before we delve into the build itself, I have a breakdown of each part of the eye that we will be covering to make it more than just playtime.

The human eye is an amazing creation, and each part of it has an important function.

Eyelashes are not just for beauty; they help protect your eyes.

Even the design of your eyebrows holds a purpose beyond expressing surprise or anger.

MORE EASY LEGO IDEAS

LEGO IDEAS FOR KIDS

Next, look at more LEGO builds for kids books.

Lego Ideas for Kids

Use one of these LEGO ideas in your homeschool. Besides, LEGO are great hands-on crafts to teach with.

Brick Shakespeare: Four Tragedies & Four Comedies

Never before have Shakespeare’s plays been depicted in LEGO bricks, and now Brick Shakespeare: The Tragedies—Hamlet, Macbeth, Romeo and Juliet, and Julius Caesar and Brick Shakespeare: The Comedies—A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Tempest, Much Ado About Nothing, and The Taming of the Shrew are available in one extraordinary hardcover.With over two thousand color photographs depicting the most well-known scenes in some of Shakespeare’s most well-known plays, this bind-up is the perfect gift for your LEGO- and Shakespeare-loving friends and family!Fall in love with LEGO Juliet on her balcony as Romeo proclaims his love. See the full effect of Lady Macbeth’s manic “Out, out, damn spot!” in a whole new way. Laugh along with LEGO Puck as he mischievously hassles the lovers in the woods. Cast a storm with brick Prospero as he strands his usurping brother on his deserted island.

Brick Fairy Tales: Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel...

Enter the magical world of fairy tales retold through LEGO bricks! Filled with creative and whimsical settings built from this universally celebrated toy, this book presents an all-new retelling of the original Grimm’s fairy tales of Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Hansel and Gretel, and more! With one thousand color photographs, this inspired adaptation uses intricately designed brick sets to present some of the most cherished and widely told stories of all time.Watch the clock strike twelve as Cinderella leaves her glass slipper behind at the ball, and see just how long brick Rapunzel’s hair can grow as she waits in her tower. Watch the seven dwarfs plot against the evil Queen and her brick looking glass, and try to find your way home with Hansel’s path of brick breadcrumbs

Lego Tribute to Jules Verne's Books Set 40690, Creator Imagination Library, Book 1

LEGO 40530 Tribute to Jane Goodall

Dr Jane Goodall + Chimps

Read through these eye facts with your child before or during the build to get the most out of this hands-on project.

LOOKING AT EYE ANATOMY

IRIS

The iris is the colored part of your eye, made of tiny muscles that control the size of your pupil.
It helps your eyes adjust to bright or dim light, much like a camera lens adjusting its aperture, opening and closing.
No two irises are exactly alike; your iris pattern is unique to you, like a fingerprint.

PUPIL

The pupil is the black hole in the center of your eye.
It changes size depending on the light, becoming smaller in bright sunlight and larger in darkness.
Some animals, such as cats and goats, have differently shaped pupils that help them see better in their environments.

SCLERA

In some animals, the sclera isn’t white, like in sharks, where it’s dark to help camouflage their eyes.
The sclera is the white part of your eye that protects the inner parts and gives your eyeball its shape.
It’s made of tough tissue, similar to what’s in tendons and ligaments!

EYELASH

Eyelashes are tiny hairs that help keep dust, dirt, and small particles out of your eyes.
When something gets too close, your eyelashes help trigger the blink reflex to protect your eyes.
They grow in a natural curve that helps direct sweat and moisture away from your eyes.

EYELID

The eyelid acts like a shield for your eyes—it keeps them moist and clean.
Every time you blink, your eyelid spreads a thin layer of tears across your eye’s surface.
Humans blink approximately 15–20 times per minute, which helps keep vision clear.

EYEBROW

Eyebrows help protect your eyes from sweat and rain, guiding moisture away from the eye area.
They also help us express emotions; you can tell a lot from raised or furrowed eyebrows.
In art and history, eyebrows have always played a big role in human expression and beauty.

TEAR DUCT

Your body makes three types of tears: basal (everyday moisture), reflex (from irritants like onions), and emotional (from feelings).
The tear duct is the tiny pink corner on the inside of your eye where tears drain.
Tears aren’t just for crying; they lubricate and clean the eye all the time.

EYE ANATOMY RESOURCES

The Way We Work is a fantastic resource to keep on hand for all things anatomy.

A couple of these large LEGO sets give you lots of options for building anatomy models like our eye. You can use them for LEGO building challenges, as math manipulatives, and so much more.

Older kids may enjoy learning even more about the eye, like the inside anatomy as we did in this 8 Eye Facts & Human Body Activities Middle School & Fun Eye Model project.

Watch The Human Eye for Kids from Homeschool Pop and learn more about the inner and outer workings of the eye.

Just for fun I think it would really be a hit to use gummy eye candy to introduce or end this unit!

LEGO EYE ANATOMY

You can absolutely get creative and make this eye anatomy any way you want but I am going to give you some loose directions to show you how to recreate the version we did here.

You will need:

A baseplate
White LEGO bricks
Brown Bricks bricks
Black LEGO bricks
Color LEGO bricks-brown, blue, green
Cardstock
Pen

Begin by building the black pupil in the center of your baseplate with a 2×4 back brick.

Add a single flat dot brick if you like to represent the light reflection in the eye.

Next, build around the pupil with whatever color eye you want to make using 1×4 bricks.

Create the sclera by arranging white bricks around the color with various-sized bricks to equal 2 studs wide by 8 studs long on the top and bottom.

Put 2×4 on either side and ending with 1×2’s on each end to give it that almond shape.

Build an “eyelid” and skin around the eye with 1 stud-wide bricks.

Make eyelashes using 1×2 bricks and add an arched eyebrow using 1 stud-wide bricks.

Finally, create labels for each part by writing them on cardstock and cutting them out.

Have your child label each part.

Fun Yarn Crafts And How To Make A Yarn Wrapped Cat

January 6, 2026 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Yarn crafts are easy to do and affordable. Not only do they nurture creativity, but they give you a chance to teach a themed lesson without a lesson plan.

And yarn comes in many colors, textures, and thicknesses, inviting kids to experiment and create.

So today, I’m showing you how to make this adorable yarn wrapped craft. Isn’t he adorable? Too, I have a free cat template which you can download at the bottom.

Fun Yarn Crafts And How To Make A Yarn Wrapped Cat

Adding craft and an animal a child loves is a great spin to science and animal husbandry.

In addition, look at these other ideas for a one day or full week unit study about cats. Art is color theory and texture, math is counting yarn or how many times it’s wrapped and discuss symmetry.

Language arts can be as simple as writing about your child’s favorite cat or pet cat. And science can be extended to include older children and discuss domesticated and wild cat habitats.

However, there are many other advantages to meaningful play which is what this craft encourages. For instance, for your younger children, wrapping the yard around the cardboard strengthens fine motor.

BOOKS ABOUT CATS FOR KIDS

First, add some of these fun books to your reading day.

Books About Cats

Add some of these fun books to learn about cats.

Millions of Cats

The book won a Newbery Honor award in 1929, one of the few picture books to do so. It is perhaps the oldest American picture book still in print. The hand-lettered text, done by the author's brother, tells the story of an elderly couple who live comfortably, but realize that they are very lonely. The wife wants a cat to love, so her husband sets off in search of a beautiful one to bring home to her. After traveling far away from home, he finds a hillside covered in "cats here, cats there, Cats and kittens everywhere."

The Catwings Complete Paperback Collection (Boxed Set)

Mrs. Jane Tabby can’t explain why her four kittens—Thelma, Roger, James, and Harriet—were born with wings. Whatever the reason, she’s grateful they can use their flying skills to soar away from the dangerous, busy city where they were born. But once the kittens escape, they learn that country life comes with its own difficulties—just as they learn that help and friendship can be found in even the most unlikely places.

Wildlife Anatomy: The Curious Lives & Features of Wild Animals around the World

In Wildlife Anatomy, Rothman captures the excitement and distinctive attributes of wild animals around the world. The book is packed with hundreds of her charming, original illustrations, detailing the unique features of animals of the rainforest, desert, grasslands, oceans, and much more. From lions, bears, and zebras to monkeys, mongoose, bats, elephants, giraffes, hippos, and much more, Rothman's visual guide covers all the key features, right down to the anatomy of a lion's claw and a wild horse's hoof. All the illustrations are accompanied by labels, intriguing facts, and identifying details, such as: When is a Panther Not a Panther? and What Makes Aardvarks So Odd?

Dick Whittington and His Cat

The well-loved tale of the London waif whose cat's prowess as a ratter results in Dick's becoming a successful merchant and Lord Mayor of London.

Born Free: A Lioness of Two Worlds

Joy Adamson's story of a lion cub in transition between the captivity in which she is raised and the fearsome wild to which she is returned captures the abilities of both humans and animals to cross the seemingly unbridgeable gap between their radically different worlds. Especially now, at a time when the sanctity of the wild and its inhabitants is increasingly threatened by human development and natural disaster, Adamson's remarkable tale is an idyll, and a model, to return to again and again

Crenshaw

Jackson and his family have fallen on hard times. There's no more money for rent. And not much for food, either. His parents, his little sister, and their dog may have to live in their minivan. Again.Crenshaw is a cat. He's large, he's outspoken, and he's imaginary. He has come back into Jackson's life to help him. But is an imaginary friend enough to save this family from losing everything?Beloved author Katherine Applegate proves in unexpected ways that friends matter, whether real or imaginary

Library Lion

A lion starts visiting the local library but runs into trouble as he tries to both obey the rules and help his librarian friend.

Little Bo: The Story of Bonnie Boadicea

After being separated from her brothers and sisters, a very small cat named Bo falls in with a sailor and becomes a ship's cat, having various adventures at sea.

National Geographic Readers: Lions

Roar with lions in this exciting reader. Through beautiful and engaging photos, kids will learn all about these majestic big cats. This level 1 reader is carefully leveled for an early independent reading or read aloud experience, perfect to encourage the scientists and explorers of tomorrow!

Also, look at more yarn crafts for kids.

YARN CRAFTS FOR KIDS

Then look at crafts about cats for kids.

CAT CRAFTS

HOW TO MAKE A YARN WRAPPED CAT CRAFT

List of Supplies

Cardboard or thick Cardstock paper
Different colored scrap yarns
Pencil
Craft glue
A pair of scissors

Step 1:

Download the free cat template at the bottom of this post by adding your email and you get it instantly.

Select thick cardstock papers of your choice or cardboard like we did and trace the provided template shape on the paper. Cut out the traced shape using scissors.

Step 2:

Turn the cat cutout to the other side. Select a strand of yarn and glue its open end near the bottom side of the current side of the cardstock cat shape.

Step 3:

Turn the cat to the front side and start wrapping the yarn around it.

Step 4:

Wrap the yarn 4-5 times and then draw the yarn to the back side of the cat shape again. Secure the open end with glue.

Step 5:

Take a different colored yarn strand and glue the yarn strand near the end of the first strand.

Step 6:

Similarly, turn the cat shape to the front side and wrap the current yarn 4-5 times with adjacent and even wraps.

Start a 3^rd strand of different color or repeat the first color, however you like.

Step 7:

Wrap yarn strands until the body part of the cat shape is covered neatly. Secure the ends of the yarns using glue and allow the glue to dry completely.

Step 8:

Attach 2 googly eyes to the head part of the cat shape.

Step 9:

Use a black marker to draw the mouth and nose of the cardstock cat to complete the craft.

Now, how to grab the freebie.

HOW TO GET THE FREE CAT TEMPLATE

It’s a subscriber freebie.

That means when you click on the link or graphic below you get this template instantly and sign up for my newsletters.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE.

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me!

Free Journal For Farm Loving Kids & Learning Farm Activities

January 5, 2026 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

I’m sharing some ways learning farm activities that can be fun and educational. Too, I have a free printable farmyard explorers farm discovery journal.

Paring this farmyard journal with hands-on activities makes learning about a farm meaningful. Let’s face it, many of us love chickens and goats maybe pigs too.

However, not all of us have a small farm outside our backdoor. This journal gives your kids a chance to explore and discover.

Free Journal For Farm Loving Kids & Learning Farm Activities

And one of the best reasons I love doing a farm study is that you can include multiple ages. Although I gear this printable toward the elementary grades, you can include other subjects for multiple ages.

For example, language arts can be a story of animals or a well-researched science paper on animals, plants, life cycles or seasons.

Science can be animal husbandry and math can be graphing, counting eggs or notice and drawing life cycles.

History and geography can include learning about early farming, how products support our community and helping kids understand where our food comes from.

RESOURCE & BOOKS FOR A FARM UNIT STUDY

Next, add some of these resources and books to your day for a fun farm unit study.

Too, I prefer living books when I can find them.

9 Farming Resources and Books

Add some of these fun books and resources to create your own curriculum about farming or for a homeschool unit study topic about farming.

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

Learn the difference between a farrow and a barrow, and what distinguishes a weanling from a yearling. Country and city mice alike will delight in Julia Rothman’s charming illustrated guide to the curious parts and pieces of rural living. Dissecting everything from the shapes of squash varieties to how a barn is constructed and what makes up a beehive to crop rotation patterns, Rothman gives a richly entertaining tour of the quirky details of country life.

Charlotte's Web: A Newbery Honor Award Winner

Some Pig. Humble. Radiant. These are the words in Charlotte's Web, high up in Zuckerman's barn. Charlotte's spiderweb tells of her feelings for a little pig named Wilbur, who simply wants a friend. They also express the love of a girl named Fern, who saved Wilbur's life when he was born the runt of his litter.

Farmer Boy (Little House, 2)

While Laura Ingalls grows up on the prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits, or best of all, when the fair comes to town.

Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—and he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Twelve-year-old Sophie Brown feels like a fish out of water when she and her parents move from Los Angeles to the farm they’ve inherited from a great-uncle. But farm life gets more interesting when a cranky chicken appears and Sophie discovers the hen can move objects with the power of her little chicken brain: jam jars, the latch to her henhouse, the entire henhouse.... And then more of her great-uncle’s unusual chickens come home to roost. Determined, resourceful Sophie learns to care for her flock, earning money for chicken feed, collecting eggs. But when a respected local farmer tries to steal them, Sophie must find a way to keep them (and their superpowers) safe.

Strawberry Girl

Strawberries—big, ripe, and juicy. Ten-year-old Birdie Boyer can hardly wait to start picking them. But her family has just moved to the Florida backwoods, and they haven't even begun their planting. "Don't count your biddies 'fore they're hatched, gal young un!" her father tells her.

Making the new farm prosper is not easy. There is heat to suffer through, and droughts, and cold snaps. And, perhaps most worrisome of all for the Boyers, there are rowdy neighbors, just itching to start a feud. The land was theirs, but so were its hardships.

The Farm That Feeds Us: A year in the life of an organic farm

Explore the workings of a small-scale, organic family farm and experience the rhythm of farm life. In the spring, visit the chicken coop, till the fields, and tour the farm machinery. When summer comes, plant corn, meet the pollinators, and head to the county fair. In the fall, make pies and preserves, harvest pumpkins, and put the fields to sleep. Winter activities include trimming and pruning the orchard, seed shopping, and baking bread.

In Grandma's Attic

A young girl delights in her grandmother’s stories of days gone by, sparked by keepsakes and simple questions, Grandma shares marvelous stories of mischief , discovery, and laughter, such as the time she accidentally lost the family buggy. Part of the bestselling Grandma’s Attic series, these charming tales—updated with delightful new illustrations—will whisk you away to another time and place.

Caddie Woodlawn

Caddie Woodlawn is a real adventurer. She'd rather hunt than sew and plow than bake, and tries to beat her brother's dares every chance she gets. Caddie is friends with Indians, who scare most of the neighbors—neighbors who, like her mother and sisters, don't understand her at all.

Veggie Farm Sorting Set

Fill bushel baskets with figures representing veggies, from corn and broccoli to onions and pumpkins

Playmat with farm signs includes images of essential colors and shapes

Additionally, look at some of these fun activities about farms.

LEARNING FARM ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Too, I have How To Make An Adorable Rocking Chick Easy Chicken Craft, Free Homeschool Chicken Unit Study and Anatomy of an Egg Felt Activity & Worksheet, and Free Chicken Life Cycle Worksheet For Kids & Hands-on Activity.

This is a subscriber freebie.

HOW TO GET THE FREE FARMYARD EXPLORERS FARM DISCOVERY JOURNAL

That means when you sign up to follow me, you get my emails in your inbox and you get this freebie.

1) CLICK HERE ON THIS LINK TO SIGN UP ON MY EMAIL LIST & TO GET THIS FREEBIE

2) Grab the freebie instantly.

3) Last, look for all my emails in your inbox. Glad to have you following me

Fun And Easy Egg Carton Farm Animals: A Crafting Adventure

November 20, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

How cute are these egg carton farm animals made from egg cartons?

Get ready for a fun trip to the farm without ever leaving your kitchen table. In this creative, hands-on craft, kids will make their very own egg carton farm animals using recycled materials.

It’s an adorable and eco-friendly way to learn about farm life while practicing fine motor skills, creativity, and even a bit of animal science.

Fun And Easy Egg Carton Farm Animals: A Crafting Adventure

Farm animals are one of the first themes that we introduce to our little ones. From what does the cow say to a fun field trip to a local farm to learn where milk comes from, it’s a great topic

I have gathered up some of the best books, games, facts, songs, and more activities for you to enjoy a mini or full farm unit with your little farmer.

Enjoy the simplicity of farm animals while going a little deeper into the topic, teaching animal roles, needs, life cycles, and more.

Here are some topics you can cover with your child related to the farm.

BOOKS ABOUT FARMING FOR KIDS

Next, look at these books about farming.

9 Farming Resources and Books

Add some of these fun books and resources to create your own curriculum about farming or for a homeschool unit study topic about farming.

Farm Anatomy: The Curious Parts and Pieces of Country Life

Charlotte's Web: A Newbery Honor Award Winner

Farmer Boy (Little House, 2)

Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—and he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer

Strawberry Girl

The Farm That Feeds Us: A year in the life of an organic farm

In Grandma's Attic

Caddie Woodlawn

Veggie Farm Sorting Set

Fill bushel baskets with figures representing veggies, from corn and broccoli to onions and pumpkins

Playmat with farm signs includes images of essential colors and shapes

Next, look at the role of animals on the farm.

ANIMAL ROLES ON THE FARM

Discuss how each animal helps people.

Cows give milk for cheese and butter.
Chickens provide eggs.
Sheep give us wool for warm clothes.
Pigs help with food scraps and are raised for meat.
Horses and goats help with work and transport in some places.

ANIMAL NEEDS AND CARE

Talk about what every living thing needs to stay healthy: food, water, shelter, and kindness.
You can ask questions like:

What do you think a cow eats?
Why do sheep need a barn in winter?
How does a farmer keep chickens safe from predators?

LIFE CYCLES AND BABY ANIMALS

Learn the names of baby farm animals-calf, piglet, chick, and lamb- and how they grow. You can even draw pictures or make mini versions of the baby animals from leftover egg carton pieces.

SOUNDS AND COMMUNICATION

Kids love to make animal noises; teach them that animals communicate, too.

Horses neigh and whinny to greet each other or call out when they’re lonely. They also use ear movements and body language to “talk” without making a sound.
Cows moo to call their calves or let the farmer know it’s milking time.
Chickens cluck softly to their chicks and squawk loudly if danger is near.
Sheep bleat when they’re looking for their flock or calling for their lambs.
Pigs grunt and squeal to show excitement, hunger, or playfulness.

Finally, look at how to make fun and easy egg carton farm animals.

HOW TO MAKE FUN AND EASY EGG CARTON FARM ANIMALS

You will need:

Egg carton cups
Pipe cleaners
Paint (white, black, pink, yellow, brown)
Pom poms
Googly eyes
Tacky glue or hot glue

First, start by disassembling your egg cartons, and cut out each cup using scissors or a box cutter. A blade like a box cutter is easier to use, as it crushes the cups a little less.

Paint each cup the base color of whatever you wish to create-white for a chicken, brown for a cow, a pink pig, etc. Set aside to dry.

While that is drying, cut small bits from the flat lid of your egg carton for a beak, ears, snouts, and wings.

Paint these as well in your desired colors.

Use pipe cleaners to fashion a pink curly tail for your pig by wrapping them around a pencil or paintbrush handle. Bend a fun little red comb for the chicken, and cut feet or add any other details you want.

Once all your paint is dry, begin attaching everything with a good tacky glue that holds well until dry or use hot glue for a faster set.

Add googly eyes to finish it off, and your barnyard pals are ready for play.

Fun and Easy High School DNA Model Project

October 26, 2025 | Leave a Comment
This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see my full disclosure policy.

Grab an armful of pool noodles at the dollar tree and let’s craft a high school DNA model project that makes learning what could be a boring subject exciting (and a little silly). And look at my page How to Choose the Right Homeschool High School Science for more fun teen ideas.

Too, I have this Human Body Crafts page for more hands-on ideas. And this Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study.

DNA may be tiny, but it holds the instructions for all living things. Learning about DNA structure can feel abstract when students only see it in diagrams.

Fun and Easy High School DNA Model Project

That’s why building a hands-on, life-sized model makes such an impact. With just a few inexpensive supplies, you can create a giant double helix out of pool noodles.

This project is not only fun, but it also helps high schoolers visualize DNA’s shape, base pairs, and functions in a memorable way. And it’s a frugal project too.

By combining the model with other related labs and activities, you can create a full mini-unit on genetics that is engaging and memorable.

MORE HOW TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT HOMESCHOOL HIGH SCHOOL SCIENCE

BOOKS FOR KIDS ABOUT DNA

Also, look at these books which make DNA easy to understand.

Pair them with your high school teen’s biology curriculum for fun easy reads.

4 Books About DNA & Mendel - The Father of Genetics

He was a monk and scientist who studied genetics. He was first to trace characteristics of successive generations.

Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas

How do mothers and fathers—whether they are apple trees, sheep, or humans—pass down traits to their children? This question fascinated Gregor Mendel throughout his life. Regarded as the world’s first geneticist, Mendel overcame poverty and obscurity to discover one of the fundamental aspects of genetic science: animals, plants, and people all inherit and pass down traits through the same process, following the same rules. Living the slow-paced, contemplative life of a friar, Gregor Mendel was able to conceive and put into practice his great experiment: growing multiple generations of peas. From observing yellow peas, green peas, smooth peas, and wrinkled peas, Mendel crafted his theory of heredity—years before scientists had any notion of genes.

Grow: Secrets of Our DNA

Earth is full of life! All living things grow—plants, animals, and human beings. The way they grow, whether it be fast or slow, enormous or not so big, helps them survive. But growing is also about change: when people grow, they become more complicated and able to do more things, and they don’t have to think about it, because bodies come with instructions, or DNA. With simple, engaging language and expressive, child-friendly illustrations, Nicola Davies and Emily Sutton, the award-winning creators of Tiny Creatures: The World of Microbes and Many: The Diversity of Life on Earth, provide an introduction to genetic code and how it relates to families to make us all both wonderfully unique and wholly connected to every living thing on Earth.

The Secret Code Inside You: All About Your DNA

Learn about the secret code that is DNA in this vibrant and informative picture book!There's a secret code inside you, a code called DNA.A code that tells your body's cells what they should do each day. It looks like twisted ladders, or tiny, twirling noodles.It makes us into people, instead of into poodles.Why can't humans breathe underwater? Why are some people tall and others short? Why do we resemble our parents and grandparents? This book explores all this and more in flowing, rhyming text, explaining cells, DNA, and genetics in a way that is simple and easy for children to understand. Colorful and brilliantly illustrated, The Secret Code Inside You illustrates that while DNA may be the blueprint for how a person looks, what you choose to do with your body is entirely up to you!

The Man Who Found Out Why The Story of Gregor Mendel

Father Gregor Mendel, with his great curiosity about nature and his passion of numbers, experimented with plants and wrote down his observations. Although few people knew about his work during his lifetime, the world now recognizes Gregor Mendel as the founder of the science of genetics.

Next, look at these facts about DNA.

7 DNA FACTS FOR KIDS

DNA Is the Recipe for Life- DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) carries instructions that tell every living thing how to grow, look, and work.
It’s Really, Really Long- If you stretched out all the DNA from just one of your cells, it would be about 2 meters long—but it’s packed so tightly you can’t see it without special tools.
You Share DNA with Bananas- About 60% of human DNA is similar to bananas. That doesn’t mean we’re part banana—it just shows that all life shares some of the same building blocks.
The DNA Alphabet Has Only 4 Letters- DNA is made of four bases: A, T, C, and G. These letters pair up to form the genetic “alphabet” that builds proteins.
No Two People Are the Same- Except for identical twins, everyone’s DNA is unique. That’s why DNA is often used in detective work and ancestry research.
You Have Lots of DNA- Your body has about 37 trillion cells, and almost every one has a full set of DNA instructions.
It Has A Double Helix Shape- DNA looks like a twisted ladder, called a double helix. The “rungs” are the paired bases, and the sides are made of sugar and phosphate molecules.

Next, look at more ideas.

MORE HIGH SCHOOL DNA MODEL PROJECT IDEAS & RESOURCES

Candy DNA Model– Use licorice (backbone), marshmallows/gumdrops (bases), and toothpicks (bonds) to make edible DNA. While I aimed this at the younger kids, I have no doubt high schoolers would love this version as well.
Beaded DNA Model- Everything you need is included to build a little beaded DNA model, perfect for an independent high school project.
What is DNA?- A video is a great way to break up book work and teach your student about the basics of DNA.
DNA Extraction Lab– Extract real DNA from strawberries or bananas using soap, salt, and rubbing alcohol.
Variation- A DNA Matching Card Game– Learn base matching and sequencing through a fun game.

HIGH SCHOOL DNA MODEL PROJECT

Building a giant DNA strand with pool noodles turns a complex topic into a fun, hands-on learning experience.

Your student not only gets to be creative but also deepens their understanding of base pairing, structure, and function of DNA.

You will need:

6 pool noodles in different colors, 2 of one and 4 different colors.
Hot Glue gun/glue sticks
Scissors or a craft knife
skewers
Markers
Notecards

Choose two pool noodles of the same color (example: pink) to represent the sugar-phosphate backbones of the DNA.

These noodles will run parallel to each other like the sides of a ladder.

Cut 20–25 short sections 4 inches each from pool noodles in four different colors to make the base pairs.

Assign a color to each base:

Green = Adenine (A)
Yellow = Thymine (T)
Red = Cytosine (C)

Orange = Guanine (G)

Make labels with cardstock or notecards.

Pair up the Bases:

DNA MODEL PROJECT

A always pairs with T
C always pairs with G

Poke skewers into one pool noodle along the length, spacing evenly, do not push all the way through.

Add hot glue carefully around each skewer to help them stay in place. Be careful not to touch the hot metal tip to the pool noodle, or it will quickly melt it.

Allow to harden for a few minutes and add more to secure it if you feel like it needs it.

Attach base pairs on each skewer, matching up the correct pairs.

You want to make sure you have at least 2” to press into the other pool noodle to attach; if not, trim down your pairs.

Start at one end and press the open end of the skewer into the end of the pool noodle and work your way down.

Apply a generous amount of hot glue to each skewer where it presses into the pool noodle. Set aside to cool and harden for a few minutes.

Carefully twist the ladder shape to form the classic double helix.

Label the Model, use markers and index cards to label:

Backbone = sugar-phosphate
Bases = A, T, C, G
Base-pairing rules

Encourage your high schooler to explain the model to you as if teaching a younger sibling who knew nothing about DNA.

Mutations Activity- Change one base in the noodle DNA model (e.g., swap an A–T pair for G–C).

Discuss how a small change can lead to a different protein and possibly a genetic disorder.

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