Explaining genetic engineering so kids can understand it….

I’m thinking of including genetically engineered seeds into the plot of my next novel in the KyRose middle grade series. STEM/STEAM. Yes! Want to prepare kids for their future.

Here’s one way of explaining it. Genetic engineering is when scientists change the DNA of living things like plants or animals to make them different in some way. Just like how you can change the way a Lego toy looks by taking some parts away and adding some new ones, scientists can change the way a living thing looks and acts by changing its DNA. This can be done to help make things better, like making crops grow faster or making animals healthier, but it’s also important to make sure we are careful and think about the consequences of changing living things.

What questions might a child come up with after reading this? What is DNA? What else?