The Gene School - Making a Candy Model of DNA

Purpose:
You will be able to see and feel what an actual DNA strand really looks like. To learn how the nucleotides are formed, and how it all fits together. This model can be used to show replication, splicing, and other functions involving the DNA double helix.

Supplies:
licorice sticks or ropes, red and black
gumdrops, jelly beans, or marshmallows in 4 colors
toothpicks
fishing line or string

Assign each base to a color, as blue/adenine, green/cytosine, etc. Use these colors of small candies to represent bases. Connect pairs of bases with toothpicks, pairing only those bases that are paired in DNA.

Cut small pieces of licorice and string them together, alternating colors. Connect the pairs of candy to the strands of licorice, using the ends of toothpicks to connect them. Continue connecting until you have the desired length.

Twist, and you have a DNA model!

Results, Questions:
1. What do the small candies represent? (bases)

2. What do the toothpicks represent? (hydrogen bonds holding bases together)

3. What do the licorice pieces represent? (alternating sugar and phosphate molecules)

Applications:
1. Use the model to show replication, splicing, and other DNA functions. Be able to explain the steps as you go. You may need to break the toothpicks to separate the strands.