Today my third grade GATE students learned about two different bone diseases: scoliosis and osteogenesis imperfecta. Both of these diseases cause curvature of the spine. To learn about the spine, students created a spinal column out of pipe cleaners and egg cartons.

The pipe cleaner represented the spinal cord and the egg carton sections were the vertebrae.

 

All you need to complete this activity is egg cartons, pipe cleaners, and a pen.

 

This activity helped my kiddos visualize how the spine moves and its purpose. This was a great addition to the articles students read and the videos they watched.