How To Make A Model Plant & Animal Cell

All living things are composed of cells, which are one of two types: eukaryote and prokaryote cells. Eukaryote cells have a nucleus whereas a prokaryote cell does not. Animal and plant cells are eukaryote cells. Animal cells differ from plant cells because the plant cell has a cell wall and chloroplasts and the animal cell does not have these organelles.

Step 1

Cut out a circle the size of the paper plate from the wax paper.

Step 2

Paste or tape the circular cut wax paper on the paper plate. This will serve as the cytoplasm of the animal cell.

Step 3

Glue the yarn on the edge of the paper plate. This will represent the cellular membrane of the animal cell.

Step 4

Draw a smaller circle in the center of the paper plate with a black marker. Cut enough yarn to line the small center circle. This will represent the nuclear membrane of the nucleus.

Step 5

Cut a piece of brown construction paper 1 inch wide in the shape of a rounded rectangle. Place the brown paper on the wax paper outside of the nucleus in the cytoplasm. This will represent the mitochondria.

Step 6

Cut a construction paper circle with a diameter of 2 inches. Glue three small brown buttons on top. Glue the paper to any available space on the wax paper outside of the nucleus. This will represent the ribosomes.

Step 7

Cut three to four pieces of yarn no longer than 3 inches. Tie the pieces together and glue the yarn to the wax paper. This will represent the endoplasmic reticulum of the cell.

Step 8

Glue three red buttons to the wax paper randomly outside of the nucleus. The red buttons will represent the lysosomes of the cell.

Step 9

Cut a plastic clear cup into small circles. Glue the small pieces all over the wax paper. The small plastic circles will represent the vacuoles of the cell.

Step 10

Take three to four pieces of yarn and glue as many peas as possible on the yarn. Bind them together with one piece of yarn. Place this combination on the wax paper outside of the nucleus. This will serve as the golgi apparatus of the cell.

Step 1

Use a shoebox to build the plant cell model.

Step 2

Cut out wax paper to fit the bottom of the shoe box. This will represent the cytoplasm.

Step 3

Label the inner wall of the shoebox as the cell wall of the plant cell.

Step 4

Place the black yarn along the inner seam of the shoebox. This will represent the cell membrane.

Step 5

Draw a smaller circle in the center of the shoebox with a black marker. Cut enough yarn to make a small circle in the center. This will represent the nuclear membrane of the nucleus.

Step 6

Repeat steps five through 10 from section one.

Step 7

Place three small green candies on the wax paper outside of the nucleus where space is available. This will represent the chloroplasts of the plant cell.