Pipe Cleaner Neurons 7 th grade Science Nervous System Unit

Step 1 Choose 7 pipe cleaners of different colors

Step 2 CELL BODY Take one pipe cleaner and roll it into a pin-wheel like ball.

Step 3 AXON Push another pipe cleaner through the center of the cell body so that there are two halves sticking out. Try to “lock” the loose pinwheel end into place. Twist the two halves together so that they form a lollipop stick like extension.

Step 4 DENDRITES Cut three pipe cleaners in half. Push a pipe cleaner through the center of the cell body and twist to lock in place. Twist and curl the ends randomly. Repeat for the rest of the pipe cleaner halves.

Step 5 MYELIN SHEATH Wrap 1 pipe cleaner around the length of the axon.

Step 6 AXON / SYNAPTIC TERMINAL Wrap a pipe cleaner around the end of the axon to form a tight ball.

In a paragraph, tell the “story” of the nerve cell. Use this vocabulary: Cell Body Dendrites Axon Myelin Sheath Axon / Synaptic Terminal Electrical Impulse In a neuron, the electrical impulse or message starts in the….