Clickschooling has a great freebie site today on History of Genetics
Visit the site of the day: Mendel for Kids
Age Range: 8-12
This website offers "A Kid's Guide to Gregor Mendel, the Father of Genetics." Mendel was a monk who used garden peas to conduct heredity experiments upon which modern genetics were founded. This site serves as a starting place for introducing the concept of genetics to kids. It has some good basic information, but if you're really interested in Mendel's work, you'll find the sites mentioned at the end of this review more satisfying. When you enter the site you'll see a menu that includes:
*The Life of Gregor Mendel - Read a brief biography about Mendel's life and work.
*Pollination Station - This simple interactive allows kids to virtually cross-breed sets of plants and see the results.
*Original Paper & Kid Translation - Read Mendel's original notes on plant hybridization (in English or German), and then click on a link that explains the notes so kids can more easily understand them.
*Links - Find 4 links to other sites about Mendel. CAREFUL! Only 2 links here are good. The one for the Mendel Museum has the wrong url. I found the correct link so keep reading...
(See links below for students 13 and up.)
Older or more advanced students may enjoy exploring the online exhibit at the Mendel Museum that includes info on the mathematics of inheritance and an animation of Mendel's experiment in plant hybridization.