As you can see in the images below, DNA looks very much like a spiral ladder which is why it’s given the name “double helix”. To meet this definition there are three major components that must be present. First off we need our base pairs (explained further below), a sugar molecule and a phosphate molecule. Once these are in order they are given the name nucleotide. Placing two nucleotides together is what officially gives us a double helix.
DNA stands for deoxyribonucleic acid and works as the code for the body, telling every organism how to grow or develop. The order of DNA is certainly not random, each rung on the ladder if you will is important in giving the organism the correct information. Whether you are a tree or a frog, a person or a plant, every living thing has DNA. Reproducing in each new cell, your DNA can mainly be found in the nucleus (called nuclear DNA) but other times smaller amounts can be found in the mitochondria (called the mitochondrial DNA). In our edible DNA lab we used marshmallows to act as the base pairs, liquorice to act as the sugar and phosphate backbones and toothpicks to hold everything together. As you can see we have 4 different colours of marshmallows in which green represents guanine, pink represents cytosine, orange represents thymine and yellow represents adenine. Guanine, cytosine, thymine and adenine are the four chemical bases found in DNA. Adenine and thymine are always found together (A and T) just like how guanine and cytosine (G and C) are also always found together. When put together in a specific sequence called DNA these components make you, you (however, in our edible DNA lab they made a yummy snack).
(The presentation posted above was one that my group made at the beginning of this project. It was one where we explained all of our hopes and dreams. Even though a few of those dreams were not accomplished, many were and I could not be prouder).
As I reflect on our project over these past two months I see the work and dedication to this project. Even though our final product did not include a solar powered flashlight or a water filter, I truly believe we made up for it with our favourite kid books and journals that would have kept us busy for weeks. Kits for kids is really about giving back and realizing how fortunate I am. Some kids in this world never got to experience a favourite stuffy or a stack of classic kid books like I did when I was a kid. This was an opportunity for me to change that. My group and I put together many different items that will go to a child or a group of children in Columbia. Found below is more information about our final product and just how much we have learned throughout this expirenece.
What at is truly included in our kit:
The Four D’s (Define Dream Deliver Debrief)
Define : What is the challenge you have been given?
The challenge we were given was to think and or research a problem that our world is facing. We were tasked with coming up with possible solutions for the problem and thinking out all of the steps (ie Who will this initiative task help? Where in the world is this invitation the most crucial?). My group is called Kits for Kids, which is exactly the goal and idea behind our solution. After chatting with the girls in my group we realized how fortunate we are. We remembered that there are kids in this world that don’t have clean water or electricity and that is where our brainstorming began.
Dream : What initiative ideas do you have about how this problem could be solved?
A chat with a young man from Tanzania really sparked an idea for myself and the three other girls in my group. This young man (named Saul) had to charge his computer at school along with his phone just so that he could Skype us for less than an hour at his home later that night. His phone worked as his flashlight while his computer gave a blurry but recognizable video and worked as a source of communication. From there, the girls and I fledged out our ideas. I started by suggesting a solar powered flashlight as it was similar to a project I was involved in last year. From there the girls spoke about making a kit that included a flashlight and possibly a filtered water bottle that we could send to refugees. After some planning and realization that we did not have the time nor the materials to create these objects, we took our project in a different direction. Instead of making this a survival kit, we went more in the direction of making it a kit of our favourite things from when we were young. This kit will be sent to Columbia this summer with a church group that I have taken part in. Our hope are that this kit goes to a child or is shared among many children and puts a smile on their faces.
Deliver : How will you publish and package your information?
The information we have collected has been posted in a power point which is found above. Our plan outline and the kit contents can be found within the presentation aswell and with hope, we will have an update from the kids when they receive the kit this summer. As for the actual packaging and sending of our project, I have already mentioned that the kit will be going to Columbia. To explain further, the kit will be sent to an organization called Sohalis which is also run by family members of the church group. We are so excited to hear about the adventures with the toys, see the drawings from the journals and pencil crayons and ultimately see the grins on their faces. Pictures from the organisation may be found on Sohalis’ instagram account or sent to me personally which I would be more than happy to share (seeing we get permission from the sender).
Debrief : How did the process go?
This is one of my favourite projects I have done thus far. Not only did we learn about possible ways to create water filters or solar powered flashlights, but we actually got to make a real difference. Seeing we had more time, I am sure we would have been able to figure out a solution for the water filter and solar powered flashlight projects along with being able to create more than one kit. Even though the semester is ending it certainly does not mean that this project has to. I believe we could carry this project on for years to come, growing the success rate year after year. I cannot wait to put this kit on a plane and continue growing this idea in the future.
Below you can find not only my self reflection for a gymnastics routine we created in gym but the routine itself. The song we selected is called Cotton Eyed Joe.
Below you can find my core competencies reflection on a project we just completed in my conversation 10 class. This project helped us to improve on our teamwork and our creative thinking skills. These two topics are exactly what my reflection focuses on.
I have also attached the music video that we made and the lyrics we wrote ourselves (the tune of the song is Forget You by CeLo Green).
In our Science 9 class, we did an experiment in which we had to take a fruit or a vegetable and mesure the electric voltage using a direct current. As you can see we have placed a piece of copper and an ordinary nail in the fruit or vegetable to help create a charge (in which electrons are moving) and therefore using the wires to connect the copper and nail to the voltmeter, we were able to see the electrical potential. My prediction was that the lemon would create the highest electric voltage.
Below you can see images of each fruit or vegetable and the electrical potential (which can be seen on the voltmeter).
#1: A full lime with an electrical potential of 0.15v on a scale of 3v.
#2: A full lemon with an electrical potential of 0.155v on a scale of 3v.
#3: Half of a lemon with an electrical potential of 0.15v on a scale of 3v.
#4: Half of a peeled lemon with an electrical potential of 0.105v on a scale of 3v.
#5: Half of a potato with an electrical potential of 0.2v on a scale of 3v.
#6: Two half potatoes and one whole potato with an electrical potential of 0.1v on a scale of 3v.
An observation that I had was the fact that the number of fruits or vegetables of the same kind actually lowered the electrical potential instead of increasing the electrical potential.
My hypothesis was incorrect when I stated that the lemon would give off the greatest electric voltage. The half potato gave off the greatest voltage but when put together with other potatoes, it was not able to create enough electric voltage to illuminate a light bulb.
Our hope was if my partners and I were in fact able to illuminate a lightbulb, to find a way using fruits and vegetables to create flashlights or lanterns and send them to places in the world without electricity. This is one of the many ways we could use an experiment as such in our everyday lives.
The lemon will create the strongest electric voltage.
The reason I chose a lemon is due to the juice, acid and citrus found inside the lemon. Much like an orange, the juice will help in creating a strong electric voltage. The amount of juice found in the fruit or vegetable may be the deciding variable in this experiment (for better or for worse).
