To have a fun science experiment with your kids, you can easily extract the DNA from any living thing in your kitchen. I’m not joking! DNA is a genetic coding that figures out how an human embryo will be turned into a man, or a small seed, into a plant. The simplest DNA experiment to carry out in your kitchen lab is that of a spinach leaf. So have some fun with your kids in the kitchen today by trying out this cool experiment!

 

Things You Will Need

  • Blender
  • ½ cup spinach (fresh)
  • Rubbing alcohol
  • 2 tablespoons of dishwashing liquid
  • Strainer
  • 1 cup of cold water
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • Pinch of meat tenderizer
  • Clear glass or clear measuring cup
  • Rubbing alcohol

 

What to Do

With your child’s help, blend the water, spinach, and salt in the blender. Blend at a high speed until you form a soupy mixture. Help your child in pouring the contents now through a strainer and into your measuring cup (or clear glass). Now add the dish-washing liquid to the glass. Leave the glass aside for 10 minutes.

Now add the meat tenderizer slowly, and observe. Look at the volume of the mixture and make your child add the rubbing alcohol now to the cup. Now leave aside again for 10 minutes.

Look into the glass. You and your child will see a white cobwebby substance floating in the glass. This is the spinach leaf’s DNA!

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