Workshops

Holiday workshops: Intro to evolution (ages 9–11)

Life started approximately 3.5 billion years ago – so why did it take so long to make us and why are we all different?

Image credit: Anna Gordon

Through activities and games we will investigate the concept of evolution through changes in our DNA – the body’s natural set of instructions. Children will be introduced to the steps leading up to evolution and some of the scientific vocabulary to describe how those changes have occurred over time to take us from single celled life through to the most complex life forms on the planet today - us. 
To consolidate learning, we will finish off by using a variety of science equipment and measurements to extract strands of DNA from fruit. 

About Lisa Mullen

Lisa is a teacher, science communicator and biochemist. She was involved in the original Human Genome Project and enjoys explaining science to anyone who wants to know. Lisa also writes books for pre-schoolers, school students and curious adults using her cute Dinky Amigos characters to help her explain how DNA works.

About our workshops

Holiday workshops at the Royal Institution give students a hands-on experience of STEM topics (science, technology, engineering, maths) beyond what they learn at school. Working in groups or pairs, students will get hands-on to complete activities, challenges or projects which help them look deeper at the subject they are exploring. These workshops don’t follow the school curriculum but instead show students the many real world uses of STEM topics, expanding their horizons beyond the classroom to see the amazing possibilities science can give you. Sessions are led by experts from across industry and academia who will share with the students their excitement and knowledge of their areas of expertise.

For any queries regarding this workshop please email events@ri.ac.uk.

Support to attend holiday workshops

The Potential Trust may be able to offer financial assistance to enable children to participate in Ri events and activities if this would otherwise be financially difficult. Please contact Denise Yates, or at their new email address here

 

 

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