Workshops

Holiday workshops: Extract your own DNA (ages 7–10)

Extract your own DNA and walk away with a small piece of it in a necklace for you to wear.

Image credit: The Royal Institution

In this workshop, students extract DNA from their own cheek cells and take home a unique keepsake - a necklace containing visible strands of their own DNA. Using enzymes, detergent and ethanol, they'll separate and isolate their DNA, gaining hands-on experience with essential molecular biology techniques. 

This workshop offers a fun and memorable introduction to lab work, enzymes and the fundamentals of DNA. 

About the Young Scientist Centre

The Young Scientist Centre (YSC) is an imaginative science laboratory at the heart of the Ri, where young people aged 7–18 can experiment and explore science and technology outside the classroom. In a YSC workshop, students become a scientist for the day, testing their own ideas by designing creative experiments. The whole experience ignites a passion for scientific discovery and encourages curiosity-driven learning.

Students are given the time and space to experiment. Not constrained by time to produce a ‘right’ result, students work as professional research scientists do: in response to their observations, encouraging curiosity-driven learning. And just as in the best research laboratories, students have access to advanced technology and experiments outside the remit of the normal school curriculum, making this an experience to remember.

For any queries regarding this workshop please get in touch by phone 020 7409 2992 or email events@ri.ac.uk.

This workshop is strictly for ages 7–8 only.

Refunds can only be issued for tickets cancelled at least two weeks (14 calendar days) in advance of the event date. Please note that this supersedes our normal event terms and conditions.

Covid guidelines

Face masks are no longer mandatory and wearing one in our Theatre and at other Ri events is at your discretion, however please do not attend the Ri if you are displaying Covid symptoms or, if you have tested, the result remains positive. Thank you for respecting other people and their choices, and for helping us keep all of our visitors and staff safe and well.

Event terms and conditions