Journeys: Spine. Stop 1

A tower that bends

Growney is building a tower that can bend. This is the spine! Stack the vertebrae from the bottom up, the biggest first.

These are too small for this place. The biggest go at the bottom, because they carry all the weight.

Five in the low back. They are the biggest, because they carry all the weight.

Twelve in the chest. The ribs join on to them.

Seven in the neck. They are the smallest and move the most.

The tower is done, 24 vertebrae! Give it a push with your finger.

It does not bend, stiff as a stick. Put soft cushions between the vertebrae!

The cushions are in. Rock it again!

It bends! The cushions let the spine bend. And the spinal cord runs through the holes in the vertebrae.