In this science workshop children learn all about DNA. They find out what DNA is, where it is found in the body, how big it is and what the building blocks of DNA are. Children can extract DNA from bananas and/or dress up as forensic scientists and use DNA to solve the crime of ‘Who stole the sweets’. This can be combined with the ‘DNA Careers talk’ and ‘making a DNA Helix out of sweets’ to create a whole school DNA Activities workshop. Everyone can learn about DNA and what a career in science is like - it doesn’t matter how old you are!
Learn MoreThis interactive lecture style workshop is based on a typical paternity case I would have to solve when I worked for a DNA testing laboratory. I tell the story of two children whose Granny is moving in with them. She got married during the war but her husband died in battle. She never spoke about him and his identity has remained a mystery in the family. When moving Granny’s things, the children discover a shoe box full of love letters, a locket and photos. They trace their grandfather’s family who give them some of his old things. I talk to the children about how we would obtain DNA from the items given to them (a ration book, army uniform and gas mask) and prove that the man in the photographs really is their grandfather. This is a very interactive and visual session with children finding out about World War II and how we can use science to answer questions about the past (suitable for 7yrs to adult)
Learn MoreWe start this workshop by writing a mnemonic to remember the order of the planets from the sun. We then watch a short video clip to give us an idea about the size of the planets and stars in our solar system. The children will make scale models of the planets and play a game of ‘Planet Top Trumps’. We will find out facts about each planet, which is the biggest and smallest planet, the number of moons each planet has, how long it takes to orbit the sun and the length of day on each planet. We will then mark out the relative distances of the planets from the sun and then complete an orbit around the sun. The children will make mini rockets and find out about the different forces that are involved with blasting a rocket into space.
Learn MoreThis workshop is based on my first children’s book where the characters in the story use DNA to solve a crime. It has been designed as a resource to help and inspire children with a love of literacy and science. Children will gain an insight on what it is like to be an author, help me to write a chapter in my book, discover some “wow” words and investigate the importance of word order in a sentence. They will learn what DNA is, where DNA is found in the body and use DNA to find out which pets have been kept in the shed (just like in the book) and which of them is the pet thief! They will get a flavour of what it is like to be a real forensic scientist and collect evidence from the crime scene. This interactive workshop is a unique and exciting way to get children interested and excited about literacy and science.
Learn MoreThis workshop is based on my second children’s book which is about ship wreckers, smugglers, DNA and finding hidden treasure! In the workshop we find out what it is like to be an author, where I got my ideas from and how I write my books. We will act out scenes based on the book starting with children discovering an old letter under the floor boards in their holiday cottage. We will watch Henry Nance the head of the smugglers set out a false light to lure a ship onto the rocks. We meet Elise the only survivor from the sinking ship as she and Henry escape through the smugglers tunnel, they leave valuable treasure which will be discovered years later. We will find out what DNA is, where we find DNA in our bodies and we will use DNA to find out what Henry looked like, discover where we came from, identify a rare mutation and return the treasure to its rightful owner! This interactive workshop will give children an incredible insight into how DNA is currently being used to answer questions about the past. It will hopefully inspire the next generation of authors and scientists.
Learn MoreThis workshop is based on my third book “The DNA Detectives – The Stone Age Mystery”. In this workshop the school hall collapses and the children discover an ancient skeleton in a cave. They discover they are not the first to discover the skeleton. Someone has been there before and it looks like they maybe stealing artefacts from the grave. They need to catch the thief! Children will become forensic scientists to find out which of them is the thief. They will also become archaeologists and excavate the grave (based on “The Red Lady of Paviland”) to reveal a number of artefacts. They try to establish how the person died, whether they are male or female and we take away samples for DNA analysis. The children use DNA to establish what the skeleton looked like. This is a great way to show children how we can use science to answer questions about the past.
Learn MoreIf ever there was an animal which beautifully demonstrated natural selection, adaptations, inheritance and evolution the mammoth is it! In this workshop we follow the story of “Boris” the Woolly Mammoth. We discover where he lived, how long ago he lived, what he looked like, what he ate and why he and his friends went extinct. How do we know this? We look at evidence from the fossil records, including the West Runton Steppe Mammoth and find out about Mammoths frozen in the Permafrost. We compare Boris to modern elephants and find out what adaptations he had to enable him to survive the harsh climate of the ice age. How did these adaptations come about and how did they allow the Woolly Mammoths to evolve? We find out how scientists have been able to extract DNA from Mammoths. What did they find from looking at the DNA? Find out why it is not as easy as it may seem to bring back a Mammoth and debate the big question .... whether we should?
Learn More©2026 The Little Story Telling Company. All Rights Reserved
Website design by Visionary Hub Space
tlstc@outlook.com
07776396963