Chromosomes are stored in the nucleus of the cell. Remember that the nucleus is the brain of the cell. While in the cell the chromosomes look like a plate of spaghetti. When the cell divides it winds up the chromosomes like you wind up spaghetti on your fork. When the chromosomes are neatly wound up and ready for the cell to divide they look like little bow ties.

Chromosomes carry DNA and DNA carries your genes. A gene is a piece of information about your body like the color of your eyes and the color of your hair. A single gene also determines whether you have attached or unattached earlobes.

Every cell in your body contains DNA. DNA is short for deoxyribonucleic acid.

Let’s sound it out: D + Ox + E + Ride – de + Bow + New + Clay + Tick – T and Acid

De – oxy – ribo – nu – cleic Acid

You probably already know that no two fingerprints are alike even though all human fingerprints look similar. The same is true for DNA. Each person has his or her own unique DNA code.

Let's put all of this mumbo jumbo together with an example! When a family wants to build a house they tell an architect to draw them a house exactly how they want it to be. The architect draws what the family wants on a big piece of paper called a blueprint. The architect gives the blueprint to a carpenter. The carpenter then builds the house exactly as it is drawn on the blueprint. This is why some houses have two bathrooms and some houses have three bathrooms. Some houses have decks and others have patios. Some kitchens have white cabinets and others have brown cabinets. Although the houses look similar they each have a unique quality about them. So, the number of bathrooms is like genes, the blueprint is like DNA, and the piece of paper is the chromosome.