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How to Make a 3D Animal Cell With Styrofoam & Colored Paper

Animal cells are extremely small, and can only be seen with a magnifier such as a microscope. Cells have a membrane, which covers the outside of the cell, and an inner part called the nucleus, which contains genetic material. The remaining parts of the cell are referred to as the cytoplasm. The cytoplasm consists of a watery protein called the cytosol, and several organelles. To make a 3-D animal cell with Styrofoam and colored paper, add clay or craft beads, and pipe cleaners. The craft beads can form the tiny parts, while the pipe cleaners can form tubules.

Things You'll Need

Styrofoam balls or blocks
Construction paper
Cardboard
Pipe cleaners
Craft beads
Clay
Pencil
Paper
Ruler
Markers
Paint
Paintbrush
Scissors
Glue
Tape

Instructions

- 1
  Glue or tape a sheet of yellow or black construction paper to a sheet of cardboard. Draw an oval or potato shape on a sheet of pink or olive construction paper. The oval should be approximately 6.5 inches in height. The color indicates the cell̵7;s cytosol.
- 2
  Create the nucleus from a 2.5-inch circle or half circle of a Styrofoam ball or block. Color it light blue by painting it, or by using markers. Color the circle̵7;s sides blue to represent the membrane. When the circle is dry, paint a 1-inch dark blue circle near its upper right corner, about 0.5 inches from the top. The tinier circle represents the nucleolus. Glue the circle to the middle of the oval, approximately 1.5 inches from the bottom.
- 3
  Cut five or six olive colored pipe cleaners to a size not longer than 1.5 inches, then bend and glue them together. Attach several dark green craft beads, to represent rough endoplasmic reticulum, called ER for short. Instead of craft beads, tiny pieces of clay or painted foam can be used. Create a second set, without beads, to represent smooth ER. Glue the rough ER near the upper right side of the nucleus. Place the smooth ER next to the rough ER.
- 4
  Construct the ribosomes. Glue a set of six to eight black craft beads near the top, bottom right and bottom left of the cell.
- 5
  Build the lysosomes and peroxisomes. Use red beads for the lysosomes, and light green ones for the peroxisomes. Glue both of them near the upper part of the cell.
- 6
  Lay four to six light green pipe cleaners next to each other, and then bend them into half circles to form Golgi. Glue them below the ER, near the bottom right of the nucleus. Finish constructing the Golgi by gluing several light green beads near it. Use purple craft beads for the secretory vesicles, and place them near the Golgi.
- 7
  Form mitochondria by cutting four 1-inch foam ellipses. Color their edges dark pink, and their insides a lighter shade of pink. Draw several dark pink interlocking stripes on each of their sides. Place two of them near the top of the cell, and two of them near the bottom of the cell, about an inch apart.
- 8
  Cut three ovals, about 0.5 inches in diameter, to represent the vacuoles. Color them light blue. Glue one near the upper left of the nucleus, another near its bottom, and glue the last near the cell̵7;s bottom left side, near the Golgi.
- 9
  Create the centrosome. Cut six olive colored pipe cleaners to a length of 0.5 inch or smaller. Set them upright so that they are vertical, and then glue them together. Lay them near the upper left of the nucleus, before the rough ER. Alternatively, create the centrosome from a circular piece of Styrofoam, and color it olive.
- 10
  Glue several strands of olive colored pipe cleaners all around cell̵7;s insides, near the edges. These represent the cytoskeleton, which is formed with microtubules, microfilaments and fibers.

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