Monday 10 September 2007

Genetics for babies

This knitted DNA model is irresistible ! Wish my knitting was good enough to make one.

Genetics for younger children


We've been reading and enjoying this, and the companion book on genetics, Have A Nice DNA. There is some overlap between the two books. The same author has two other books, titled: Amazing Schemes Within Your Genes and DNA Is Here To Stay. I haven't been able to tell if these are older versions of the same books or if there is a difference in content or level.

It seems that all four books are bright and varied enough to hold the interest of pre-elementary children who have heard of DNA and want to know more, and may be getting over-simplistic by the time children reach the end of elementary education.

PBS Evolution Series Website

The PBS Evolution series was first broadcast in 2001. For anyone who wasn't in the process of educating children at that date, it's worth looking at. The website has tons of information in various media, an online course for teachers, lesson plans for children, a shop where you can buy the videos, etc..

Sunday 2 September 2007

Bore me to Tears

Bore me to Tears is a very interesting blog, but it also seemed the aptest title I could think of for a post about 'that movie'. Lynn has some comments on Expelled, a movie that I suppose we are all going to be forced to know about. It's also an ongoing subject of posts (here and here and here) on the part of one of the unwitting probable villains of the show, over at Pharyngula. The premise of the movie, taken from it's own site:
Ben (Stein) realizes that he has been “Expelled,” and that educators and scientists are being ridiculed, denied tenure and even fired – for the “crime” of merely believing that there might be evidence of “design” in nature, and that perhaps life is not just the result of accidental, random chance.
So... not really about evolved homeschoolers... Still, I have a feeling it's going to be a hot topic for a while. Oh boy!