Year 6 - Exploring Inheritance

This week in Science, Year 6 have been learning all about inheritance and how characteristics are passed down from parents to their offspring.

The children began by exploring how offspring inherit traits from their parents, using gummy bears to represent inherited characteristics. This hands-on activity helped them to visualise how offspring can inherit a combination of features from both parents, meaning that they may share similarities with their parents while still having their own unique characteristics.

We then investigated the difference between inherited and environmental characteristics. The children discussed how inherited characteristics are passed down through genes from biological parents, such as natural eye colour, whereas environmental characteristics are influenced by experiences and surroundings, such as learning to play a musical instrument.

To finish our learning, the children got creative by designing their own Mr Men and Little Miss offspring! They combined the characteristics of different characters to invent brand-new offspring, thinking carefully about which traits they might inherit from each parent. This was a fun and imaginative way to apply their understanding of inheritance while exploring how offspring can share characteristics with their parents but are not necessarily identical to them.

Well done, Year 6, for your fantastic scientific discussions, creativity and enthusiasm!