DNA... because preschoolers LOVE this stuff!

I've come to the conclusion that I'm a much better mom to children who are reading on their own and are past diapers, bottles, and needing help with baby stuff. I love 'em when they are little, but I LOVE 'em when they are a bit bigger.

I bombed science in college but love learning how things work. (As a side note, one of my favorite things to do with the kids is disassemble broken electronics. Strange-- I know!) I like learning that God designed things to work logically. Johann Kepler believed "geometry is unique and eternal, a reflection of the mind of God. That mankind shows in it is because man is an image of God."

Johann Kepler was no lightweight. He was the real deal! The dude has a Supernova named after himself. And this is before you could just "buy and name a star for your loved one". He's even got a crater on the MOON named Kepler. He discovered the laws of planetary motion.... before computers and calculators! But more importantly he loved Christ. 

(Don't stop reading.... I really am going somewhere with all of this!)

Check out some of what this man said:

"We astronomers are priests of the highest God in regard to the book of nature." "God is the beginning and end of scientific research and striving"-the keynote of his thought, the basis of his purpose, the "life-giving soil of his feeling."

"I wanted to become a theologian," he wrote. "For a long time I was restless. Now, however, behold how through my effort God is being celebrated in astronomy."

He believed that "everything in nature is arranged according to measure and number." He was convinced that "the geometrical natures of things have provided the Creator the model for decorating the whole world." (He investigated the regularity of the six angles of a snowflake in "Strena" (1611--  yet no one could prove this theory until 1998!),) His axiom was that "nothing in the world was created by God without a plan"; he sought it diligently.

His dying words were: "Only the merits of our saviour Jesus Christ. It is in Him, as I steadfastly testify, that there rest all my retreat, all my consolation, all my hope."

Since Joseph was in NY this weekend the kids and I went to the grand debut of the St. Louis Science Center's new Life Science Lab-- which doesn't actually open to the public until October 1st. Since we're members we got a sneak peek! And it was fantastic! I love that my kids are learning to enjoy science. I hope and pray that our kids will see science as a reflection of the mind of God and use the Word of God as the foundation for ALL their thinking. 

Here are Bobby, Ian and Gini Lu all extracting DNA from wheat germ. We had already looked at our cheek cells under a microscope and extracted DNA from our own saliva. The DNA was much easier to see from the wheat germ than ourselves. We could actually wrap the DNA around a small wooden dowel because there was so much to see and gather! (That's what Bobby is doing here.)

Before this picture, we were at another station looking at our cheek cells with blue stain under a microscope. As I was telling the kids what we were about to do, Bobby asked me this super important question, "Are we using these cheek cells?" as he pointed to his bottom.  Whew! That was almost an awkward experiment.