Bone Fractures

Most people break at least two bones in their lifetime. In this activity, learners will use celery stalks to model the many ways that bones can fracture. Learners will investigate different ways bones can break by examining the patterns of snapped, twisted, and crushed celery stalks. Step-by-step instructions are included with photos. Activity guide includes a “What’s going on?” explanation and connections to relevant science concepts like bone fractures and healing bones. Different bone fracture characteristics such as orientation, number of pieces, displacement, closed vs. open, completeness, and location are explained in the celery model using descriptions and photos.

Materials List:

• head of celery


• knife


• cutting board (optional)


• small paper bag (optional)