The Blue Fugates, Mendel, and Punnett squares

As part of our study of Identity, we've been learning about traits, inheritance, and genes. Today, we learned about the strange case of the "Blue Fugats" of Kentucky, Gregor Mendel and his studies of pea plants, and how to create and read Punnett squares. 


We kicked things off today with a reading about the mysterious blue people of the hills of Kentucky: The Blue People of Troublesome Creek

This led to the introduction of Gregor Mendel, adorably (and quickly) summarized in this video: 

We concluded with a crash course in Punnett squares, discussing dominant and recessive traits, homozygous and heterozygous alleles, and phenotypes and genotypes. 

It was a heady day. Ask your child about the blue people of Kentucky, or try out some Punnett squares together and piece together some family history!