Lab-Aids: Strawberry DNA Extraction Kit

Teach biotechnology without the technology in your classroom. A "low-tech" hands-on solution to presenting some high-tech topics. Extract DNA from strawberries and examine some physical properties. A complete classroom kit that provides everything necessary (except strawberries) along with specially prepared cell lysating solutions and DNA precipitating. This allows students to easily extract DNA by first crushing the strawberry, then lysing to release the cell components and finally precipitating and viewing the DNA after spooling the DNA on a splint. this kit contains step-by-step student instructions and teacher background information. It is designed for a class of 8 teams of 4 and contains all the material to conduct 2 extractions. It is a simple and quick method that is easy to perform using frozen strawberries. 

This is an excellent lab activity for all levels of teaching and for transferring complex concepts from the abstract into real observations. It allows students to visualize DNA and understand some of its properties. It illustrates the enormous length of the DNA molecule.