Turn an ordinary pizza night into a delicious learning experience with an edible human cell model pizza. Also, I have this Human Body Crafts page for more hands-on ideas. And this Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study.
How fun is it to learn about the parts of a human cell through building, cooking, and eating it rather than completing a dry worksheet?
In this project we will take basic pizza toppings and form each of the parts of a cell with similarly shaped items.
It is a great opportunity to talk about each as you prepare them for the pizza, and then again when it comes out of the oven.
8 Fun Facts About Cells
- Cells are sometimes referred to as the “building blocks of life” and are the smallest unit of living things.
- The human body is composed of trillions of cells, and each has their own specialized function.
- Cells contain genetic material-DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) and RNA (ribonucleic acid).
- Cells were discovered in 1665 by Robert Hooke, he named them for their resemblance to monastery cells.
- Cells have variable life spans, it can range from a few days to an organism’s entire lifetime.
- You can’t see most cells without a microscope, a few exceptions are the ostrich egg which is considered a single cell and the single-celled organism is the algae Caulerpa which grows up to 10 feet.
- There are two basic cell types- prokaryotic and eukaryotic. Eukaryotic cells are those of plants, animals, fungi, and protozoa. Prokaryotic cells are bacteria and archaea.
- The word cell comes from the Latin word “cellula” for “small room”.
Next, look at some of these resources for learning about the human body.
16 Human Body Books & Hands-on Resources
Add a few of these fun resources whether you do a couple of lesson plans about the human body or a unit study.
One of the resources we used as a reference for this activity was The Way We Work, it covers a lot of interesting topics on the human body.
Vivid Human torso organ structure: 15 Pcs Removable Organs including: Torso, Brain (2-part), Heart, Esophagus and Aorta, Lungs (4-part), Cranial Cap, Stomach, Diaphragm, Liver, pancreas and spleen, small and large intestine. The torso structure showing the relative position, morphological features, anatomy of the head, neck and internal organs, especially the respiratory, digestive, urinary and nervous systems.
[HUMAN ORGANS SILICONE MOLD]: 8 Pcs Human Organs Mold With Different Shapes, Include 1 Human Heart Mold, 1 Brain Silicone Mold, 1 Liver Mold, 1 Intestinal Mold, 1 Lung Mold, 1 Stomach Mold, 1 Brain Stem Mold, 1 Kidney Mold.
This human body with squishable organs is another great way to identify the organs and become familiar with their layout in the body, it has that gross factor that so many kids love.
8PCS Human Organ Figures Set:Human organ anatomy parts display model children learning toy include small intestine, large intestine, lung, brain, stomach, heart, liver, kidney. Suitable for boys and girls over 6 years old,good for brain ability and imagination.
Complete labeled illustrations of over 1,400 anatomical identifications.Loaded with beautifully illustrated diagrams clearly and concisely labeled for easy identification.
Basher Science: Human Body, A Book with Guts! Created & illustrated by Simon Basher, written by Dan Green
From the best-selling team that brought you The Periodic Table, Physics, Biology, and Astronomy comes a topic that's close to our hearts-literally! Meet the characters and processes that that keep the human body chugging along. From the basic building blocks like Cell, DNA, and Protein, to Bones, Muscles, and all of the fun-loving Organs, readers will cozy up with the guys on the inside. Trust us-Liver has never looked better!
High-quality 3 MIL LAMINATION for added durability
Tear Resistant
HUMAN ORGANS LEARNING: Marvel at the rich complexities of the human heart muscle! Every piece has a unique shape designed to outline each major part of the heart organ, making these an exciting challenge to assemble. Each puzzle includes an Anatomy Reference Guide, so you can learn as you build!
- Authentic x-ray images
- Works with any light source or light table)
- Matching facture card
- Detailed teaching guide
- Set of 4 Posters Made in the USA
- Posters are 18" x 24” in size
- High-quality 3 MIL lamination for added durability
- Tear Resistant
Discover the workings of the body's most complex organ! How does the brain control the rest of the body? How does it enable the senses to function, regulate speech, affect balance, and influence sleep and dreams? These 25 illustrations to color explain every aspect of the brain's important jobs, from communicating with the central nervous system to retaining memories. Suitable for ages 8–12.
Enjoy This Coloring Book with 34 Beautiful Human Skull Anatomy Coloring Pages.
The Human Skull Anatomy Coloring Book Provides A Means Of Learning About The Structure And Function Of The Human Skull Anatomy Through A Process Of Coloring-By-Directions.
Coloring The Human Skull Anatomy And Its Nerves Is The Most Effective Way To Study The Structure And Functions Of Human Skull Anatomy. You Assimilate Information And Make Visual Associations With Key Terminology When Coloring In The Human Skull Anatomy Coloring Book, All While Having Fun.
Fall is a grea time to grab a set of hands at Dollar Tree but also here is a pair if you're doing a unit study and need one now.
This poster makes a great reference and can be used with older children to help them add more detail to their project.
Our bodies contain a super highway of blood vessels that carry nutrients, waste, and much more from our heads to our toes. This network is the circulatory system! Beginning with a deep breath in, this fact-filled title uses easy-to-follow text and diagrams to allow readers to dive inside the bodys circulatory system!
The human body is a complex being made up of systems that keep us alive and moving! In this series, readers will dive into the bodys systems though engaging, leveled text and related diagrams that follow the parts and functions of each system. Get a microscopic view inside the body with A Closer Look, and put new knowledge into action with a hands-on activity. Check out what is happening inside the body with each title!
Also, look at these other activities to learn about the human body.
More Human Body Crafts
- Simple and Easy Circulatory System Hands-on Activity for Kids
- How to Turn a Pizza Into a Fun Edible Human Cell Model
- How To Make A Fun Bones Of The Hand Labeled X-Ray Craft
- 7 Human Skull Facts and Cool Human Skull Anatomy Activity
- How to Make a Fun Hands-on Playdough Brain Activity
- Major Organs of The Human Body Labeled Fun Felt Anatomy Activity
- Fun Resources and Books About The Human Body For Preschoolers
- 8 Eye Facts & Human Body Activities Middle School & Fun Eye Model
- 12 Human Body Games For Middle School & High School
- Craft a Fun Hand Straw Model to Explore Human Anatomy Muscles & Tendons
- How to Make a Human DIY Heart Model Easy Craft for Kids
- 8 Facts About the Respiratory System & Fun Lung Craft for Kids
- 7 Human Body Facts and Kids Human Body T-Shirt Project
- Fun Edible Spine
- Making Blood + What Are the Components of Blood
- DIY Heart Pump
- Kids Stethoscope Activity
- Build An Edible DNA Model
- Edible Skin
- Rigid versus Flexible Bone Activity.
- Pregnancy Belly Female Study of Human Anatomy Kids Fun Craft
- Look at my Beautiful Human Body Lapbook and Fun Unit Study
Additionally, learn about the parts of the human cell.
The Parts of a Human Cell
Here is a quick breakdown of what each part of the cell is and what it does to use for reference throughout the activity.
Cell- This is the basic building block of all living things.
Cytoplasm- The gelatinous liquid that fills the inside of a cell.
Nucleus– A membrane-enclosed organelle within a cell that contains the chromosomes.
Endoplasmic Reticulum– Is the transportation system of the eukaryotic cell.
Golgi Bodies-Are organelles that help to process and package proteins and lipid molecules.
Lysosomes– The membrane-bound cell organelle that contains digestive enzymes.
Ribosomes-Intracellular structure made of both RNA and protein.
Microtubules- Polymers of tubulin that form part of the cytoskeleton and provide structure and shape to eukaryotic cells.
Mitochondria- Mitochondria are membrane-bound cell organelles that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell. Also known as the ‘powerhouse of the cell.’
Finally, look at this edible human cell model made out of pizza.
Edible Human Cell Model Pizza
After a day of studying the human cell, what better way to end it than with an edible human cell model pizza to reinforce what you have learned.
There is plenty of room to adjust toppings to your preference.
You will need:
- Pizza dough
- Toppings
Here is what we used for each of the cell parts.
You can swap out toppings that are similar in shape if you like to create your own pizza cell work of art.
Create a key to identify which topping you choose for each organelle (subunit within a cell).
- Cell – Pizza Crust
- Cytoplasm – Pizza sauce
- Nucleus – Salami
- Endoplasmic Reticulum– Thinly sliced onion
- Golgi Bodies– Basil leaves
- Lysosomes – Mini pepperoni
- Ribosomes – shredded mozzarella
- Microtubules -Pepper strips
- Mitochondria – Mushroom slices
You will also need:
- Baking sheet/pizza pan
- Olive oil
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees or whatever your dough recipe calls for.
You can use homemade or ready-to-bake pizza dough.
Rub a bit of olive oil into your baking pan.
Roll out a small piece of dough into a rough circle, like a little personal pan pizza.
Smooth on a little sauce for the cytoplasm, leave a little space on the outside edges to represent the cell membrane.
Sprinkle on a small amount of shredded mozzarella for the ribosomes.
Continue adding the various parts of the cell (pizza toppings) building it up until you have all of them.
Place pizza in the oven and bake to the desired doneness.
After baking we sprinkled it with a little more shredded mozzarella because they disappeared in the cooking.
Cool and enjoy your delicious cell!
