What’s in Your Genes?

If you have small children still in the home or plan on entertaining grandchildren this summer, Familylocket.com may just have an idea that could convert those little ones to family history work! In a blog post, 5 April 2017, Nicole Dyer (daughter part of the mother/daughter team) shared an great experience you had teaching a cub scouts group about genealogy. She used the book, The One and Only Me: A Book About Genes by Ariana Killoran, a 23andMe book. (The book is available from the Salt Lake County library system.)

The story is about a girl named Poppy who has red hair, freckles, blue eyes, and likes making pizza. Her two siblings look alike and asks, “why do I look so different?” the book goes into cells, genes, DNA, recessive and dominant, and which traits are inherited and which aren’t.

The page about the history of our genes says, “Your genes have quite a history! They tell a story about all the people in your family who came before you, from all over the world, back through the ages. Who knows whose genes the three of you might share!”

Dyer reports that the cub scouts were riveted while they talked about the book. After reading the book, she gave them a family traits worksheet that they could use to collect data about their family.

You can get those sheets at http://familylocket.com/family-traitsworksheet/. While there you can also read about the activity and see an additional hands on play dough activity created by Emily Schroeder.