Jane Addams Middle School, part of the Seattle Public School District, recently hosted their 4th annual STEAM Fair to help promote science and STEM careers. SoundBio Lab was delighted to be invited back for a 3rd time. When our volunteers weren’t enjoying the complimentary taco bar (thanks, it was great!), they were busy showing kids how to extract DNA from strawberries!

This popular and engaging tabling activity is well suited for middle school kids because 6th grade science curriculum includes an introduction to cellular biology. Kids are always amazed when then see the DNA forming at the last step - a definite ‘A-HA’ moment because you do not need a microscope to see it. We have the children transfer their DNA sample to a micro-tube so they can clip it onto a piece of yarn. This allows them to wear their very own DNA necklace to show family and friends. We ran into one 8th grader who told us that he still had his strawberry DNA in a tube from 2 years ago - fantastic! We look forward to joining Jane Addams next year for more hands-on learning.

Volunteers busy showing participants how to extract DNA from strawberries.