======Modeling DNA with Pipe Cleaners======


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**Alternative titles:** Bead and Wire DNA Structure
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====Summary====                   
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====Procedure====  
  - Choose bead colors to represent each of the four DNA bases (for example: blue = adenine, green = thymine, purple = guanine, orange = cytosine).  
  - Thread pairs of beads onto 2-inch pipe cleaners, making sure to follow base-pairing rules (A pairs with T, G pairs with C).  
  - Use two 1-foot pipe cleaners to represent the sugar-phosphate backbone. Lay them parallel to each other.  
  - Attach the bead pairs between the two long pipe cleaners, twisting the ends of the short pipe cleaners around the backbone to form “rungs of a ladder.”  
  - Once all rungs are attached, hold both ends of the ladder and twist gently to form a double helix shape.



====Links==== 
HOW TO MAKE A DNA MODEL USING PIPECLEANERS. PROJECT DEMONSTRATION - Kunal Sharma: 
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Make Your Own Double Helix DNA Strand | One Stop Science Shop - Da Vinci Kids: 
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📄 DNA Building - Sanford Research: [[https://static.pbslearningmedia.org/media/media_files/914d3716-08f0-4032-8016-1871ae07dcfc/8f9f2bae-74a0-4688-8d4b-3571b4e784a1.pdf]]\\


====Variations====
 * Create a longer DNA model with more base pairs.  
  * Use different materials, such as straws and string, instead of pipe cleaners and beads.  
  * Label the bases with letters (A, T, G, C) to reinforce learning.  
  * Build two complementary DNA strands separately, then zip them together like a zipper.



====Safety Precautions====
  * Beads can be a choking hazard—keep away from young children.  
  * Use caution with pipe cleaners, as the cut ends can be sharp.  
  * Handle materials responsibly and avoid leaving small parts on the floor.




====Questions to Consider====
  * Why must adenine always pair with thymine, and guanine always pair with cytosine? (Because of hydrogen bonding patterns and molecular shape.)  
  * What does the twisted shape of the DNA model represent? (The double helix structure of DNA.)  
  * How does this model help us understand how DNA stores genetic information? (The sequence of bases along the model represents the genetic code.)  
  * What real molecules do the pipe cleaners represent? (The sugar-phosphate backbone of DNA.)