Did you know that you can make a plant cell model edible?
In fact, you can, and it makes for a great hands on activity to learn all about the different parts.
It just so happens to be pretty tasty too with a sugar cookie base, icing, and extra sweets on top to represent each thing.
Having kids be able to fully get in there and explore with multiple senses is always the best way for them to learn.
Besides, who is going to forget the mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell after they form it from candy, label it, and then gobble it up?
Before we get to our tasty activity let’s look at each of the cell parts and what they do to get a better understanding.
Also, I have some wonderful activities to go along with today’s hands-on project to extend the learning and appeal to all learning types.
BOOKS ABOUT PLANTS FOR KIDS
Too, look at these living books about plants.
9 Plant Books for Kids Who Read and Love to Be Read To
Add a few of these books about plants to your home library or to your unit study.
Living Sunlight shows children, teachers, and parents the remarkable magic of what makes us human.This informative yet dramatic book will mesmerize readers and help further a child's understanding of the energy we share with all living things in nature. We are all dancing sunlight. The book is co-authored by award-winning M.I.T. professor Penny Chisholm, a leading expert on ocean science. A perfect addition to any library!
In 1882, Black botanist and mycologist Charles S. Parker sprouted up in the lush, green Pacific Northwest. From the beginning, Charles’s passion was plants, and he trudged through forests, climbed mountains, and waded into lakes to find them. When he was drafted to fight in World War I, Charles experienced prejudice against Black soldiers and witnessed the massive ecological devastation that war caused. Those experiences made him even more determined to follow his dreams, whatever the difficulties, and to have a career making things grow, not destroying them.As a botanist and teacher, Charles traveled the United States, searching for new species of plants and fungi. After discovering the source of the disease killing peach and apricot trees, Charles was offered a job at Howard University, the famed historically Black college where he taught the next generation of Black scientists—men and women—to love plants and fungi as much as he did.
How do mothers and fathers—whether they are apple trees, sheep, or humans—pass down traits to their children? This question fascinated Gregor Mendel throughout his life. Regarded as the world’s first geneticist, Mendel overcame poverty and obscurity to discover one of the fundamental aspects of genetic science: animals, plants, and people all inherit and pass down traits through the same process, following the same rules.
This picture book biography examines the life and career of naturalist and artist Anna Comstock (1854-1930), who defied social conventions and pursued the study of science. From the time she was a young girl, Anna Comstock was fascinated by the natural world. She loved exploring outdoors, examining wildlife and learning nature's secrets. From watching the teamwork of marching ants to following the constellations in the sky, Anna observed it all. And her interest only increased as she grew older and went to college at Cornell University. There she continued her studies, pushing back against those social conventions that implied science was a man's pursuit. Eventually Anna became known as a nature expert, pioneering a movement to encourage schools to conduct science and nature classes for children outdoors, thereby increasing students' interest in nature. In following her passion, this remarkable woman blazed a trail for female scientists today.
Sally is a young girl living in rural Alabama in the early 1900s, a time when people were struggling to grow food in soil that had been depleted by years of cotton production. One day, Dr. George Washington Carver shows up to help the grown-ups with their farms and the children with their school garden. He teaches them how to restore the soil and respect the balance of nature. He even prepares a delicious lunch made of plants, including "chicken" made from peanuts. And Sally never forgets the lessons this wise man leaves in her heart and mind. Susan Grigsby's warm story shines new light on a Black scientist who was ahead of his time.
Covering more than twenty-five subjects, from photosynthesis and permaculture to the hidden world of Victorian plant hunters, this stylish illustrated guide is packed with scientific insight into the critical role plants play in the drama of life on Earth. Did you know that some plants steal while others defend themselves against attack? That the largest cacti can reach sixty-six feet tall and weigh more than a car? That there are meat-eating plants the size of footballs? Readers young and old will marvel at the wondrous diversity and adaptability of plants, from trees and tropical species to those that have evolved to master extreme conditions. A brisk narrative bursting with facts—all carefully organized with maps and charts in richly patterned vintage-style illustrations—make for a vivid guide to all that grows . . . and a beautiful gift book for anyone interested in the environment.
Originally published in the early 1900's by Anna Comstock. This book, Notes on Plants and Flowers, contains the following information: How to Understand a Plant, How to understand a flower; along with multiple forms to fill in while in the field, to aid in the identification of plants and flowers.
Anna Comstock intended that the pupil would use these notebooks to create their very own field guides by observing local flora and fauna with which they should be very familiar.
This is an 8.5x11 workbook for students, featuring short illustrated chapters on identifying parts of plants and flowers along with multiple forms for the pupil to complete.
A guide to discovery of the forces at work in the world of plants. Through germinating seeds and varying their growing conditions, students learn by observation the different ways seeds germinate and young plants respond to moisture and light. Further experiments shed light on the manner of nourishment, respiration, and reproduction. The reader is given plenty to ponder since the text often poses questions without supplying answers. The life stories of the sweet pea, oak, ferns, moss, and mushrooms and an account of some of the forces plants have to contend with in their struggle to survive encourage students to continue to read and interpret their surroundings. An engaging introduction to botany for middle school and beyond.
A tree that sheds poison daggers; a glistening red seed that stops the heart; a shrub that causes paralysis; a vine that strangles; and a leaf that triggered a war. In Wicked Plants, Stewart takes on over two hundred of Mother Nature’s most appalling creations. It’s an A to Z of plants that kill, maim, intoxicate, and otherwise offend. You’ll learn which plants to avoid (like exploding shrubs), which plants make themselves exceedingly unwelcome (like the vine that ate the South), and which ones have been killing for centuries (like the weed that killed Abraham Lincoln's mother). Menacing botanical illustrations and splendidly ghastly drawings create a fascinating portrait of the evildoers that may be lurking in your own backyard. Drawing on history, medicine, science, and legend, this compendium of bloodcurdling botany will entertain, alarm, and enlighten even the most intrepid gardeners and nature lovers.
Plant cells are complex structures that perform a variety of functions essential for plant growth and survival.
PARTS OF A PLANT CELL
Additionally, here are the main parts of a plant cell include:
- Cell Membrane: The cell membrane is a selectively permeable barrier that surrounds the cell and regulates the movement of substances into and out of the cell.
- Endoplasmic Reticulum: The endoplasmic reticulum is a network of membranes that fold and transports proteins.
- Cell Wall: The cell wall is a rigid structure that surrounds the cell membrane and provides support and protection for the cell.
- Cytoplasm: The cytoplasm is a jelly-like substance that fills the cell and contains all of the cell’s organelles.
- Nucleus: The nucleus is the control center of the cell and contains the cell’s DNA.
- Nucleolus: The nucleolus is a small structure within the nucleus that produces ribosomes.
- Ribosomes: Ribosomes are small structures that produce proteins.
- Golgi Apparatus: The Golgi apparatus is a stack of membranes that modifies, sorts, and packages proteins.
- Lysosomes: Lysosomes are small sacs that contain enzymes that break down waste products and worn-out cell parts.
- Vacuoles: Vacuoles are storage sacs that hold water, salts, and other substances.
- Chloroplasts: Chloroplasts are green organelles that contain chlorophyll and carry out photosynthesis.
- Mitochondria: Mitochondria are organelles that produce energy for the cell.
Next, look at more edible plant activities.
MORE CELL MODEL EDIBLE PROJECTS
- Start with a video on Plant Cells and Their Parts to demonstrate each part and the role they play as part of the cell.
- Follow this tutorial to learn How to Make a 3D Cell Model with Jello.
- This Plant Cell Model is made from all kinds of kitchen goodness from jello to noodles to fruit. This is a creative way to use up a little bit of everything in the pantry and fridge.
Too, grab my free Amazon Rainforest lapbooks which have several minibooks about plants.
For example, I have the Plant label, Why do we need plants, Photosynthesis wheel rain forest and Labeling a Plant Cell printable minibooks to name a few from my rainforest lapbook.
And look at more hands-on plant activities.
PLANT ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS
- How to Make a Fun Pitcher Plant Craft With Pool Noodles
- Spectacular Lewis And Clark Plants Drawings | 7 Quick Botany Art Lessons
- Carnivorous Plants For Kids and Make a Fun Paper Plate Venus Flytrap Craft
- What Plants And Animals Did Lewis And Clark Discover on their Famous Trek & Bitterroot Craft
- Free Carnivorous Plants Lapbook and Fun Homeschool Unit Study Ideas
- 10 Plant Life in The Amazon Rainforest Facts and Make a Fun Rafflesia Arnoldii
- Free Carnivorous Plants Notebooking Pages & Easy Hands-on Science Activity
- Fun Kids Activity How to Make Wildflower Seed Bombs
- How to Easily Make Fun Seed Tape With Kids
- How To Make Plastic Bottle Little Greenhouses | 5 Plastic Bottle Craft Ideas
- How to Make a Fun Kids Root Viewer
Finally, look at how to make a plant cell model edible.
HOW TO MAKE A PLANT CELL MODEL EDIBLE FOR KIDS
The first thing you want to do is take a picture of a plant cell on your phone with you to the store and let your kids pick out candy that they think looks like the various parts.
To keep it simple I recommend using various colors of taffy like candy, they are easy to warm and manipulate into different shapes.
Dollar Tree has a ton of fantastic options to choose from, look for bags with multiple colors in them like Air heads or Laffy Taffy Packs.
You will need:
- Sugar cookie mix
- Various candy
- Frosting
- paper/pencil
First, prepare cookie mix according to package directions.
Spread dough out onto a parchment lined baking sheet and form it into a rectangle with slightly rounded corners, roughly the shape of a plant cell.
Bake to the directions.
Allow the cookie to cool completely then cover it with frosting, leaving a small unfrosted border all the way around to represent the cell wall.
Now set out your frosted cookie and selection of candies for creating the parts.
To make the candy a little more malleable, heat it in the microwave for 8-10 seconds to just slightly soften it.
Get creative with shaping and placing the candy to represent the various parts of the plant cell.
Once it is done, write the parts on a piece of paper.
And have your child create a ‘legend’ to show what each is by placing another piece of the matching candy next to the label.
Now you can use your masterpiece to quiz your child. Remove the labels and ask what each does.
Have them tell you what each does before they eat it and rearrange it to see if they can correctly remake the labels.
