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How to Make a 5th Grade Plant Cell Model Out of Styrofoam

One of the wonders of the biological world is the cell, the basic building block of life and a unit of phenomenal complexity. This is as true of plants as it is of other life forms. One effective way for fifth-grade students to understand the function and relationship of the various parts of a plant cell is to reproduce them in model form. Polystyrene foam or plastic foam, such as Styrofoam, can be molded and manipulated into a visual plant cell model.

Things You'll Need

6-by-8-by-12-inch plastic foam block
Knife
Paints
Paintbrush
Long toothpicks

Instructions

- 1
  Cut along the outside perimeter of one 6-by-8-by-12 inch plastic foam block about 2 inches from its edge with a knife. The cut-out perimeter will represent the plant cell wall and membrane. Set the remaining foam aside to use later in the project.
- 2
  Paint a thin band in the color of your choice on the internal perimeter of the plastic foam border you just cut. It will represent the cell membrane, which sits on the inside of the cell wall. You may leave the exterior border, which represents the cell wall, unpainted or paint it a different color.
- 3
  Cut out a roughly spherical object about 2 inches in diameter from the excess plastic foam. It will serve as the nucleus, the genetic center of the cell. Like real-life nuclei, its shape doesn't have to be a perfect circle, just an approximation. Paint the nucleus a bright color to signify its importance within the cell's anatomy. Use a long toothpick to attach the nucleus to the cell wall, and position it at about the middle of the plant cell model.
- 4
  Cut out several oval shapes about 1 inch in length from the plastic foam. Paint them a color different from the colors you already used. The oval shapes will symbolize the mitochondria, which produce the energy needed for each cell -- and, by extension, the whole organism -- to exist. Attach them with toothpicks in the same fashion, anywhere within the interior of the cell model.
- 5
  Cut out 1- or 2-inch long oval shapes to represent the chloroplasts, which are responsible for photosynthesis within a plant cell. Photosynthesis, a major characteristic of plant life, is the process of converting solar energy into chemical energy. Paint these oval shapes a color different from the other cell parts. Green is a suitable color because it can remind the fifth-graders of the role of chloroplasts in photosynthesis. Attach the chloroplast shapes to the cell model with toothpicks.
- 6
  Cut out another spherical shape smaller in size than the nucleus. It symbolizes the lysosome, which contains digestive enzymes and breaks down matter within the cell. Paint the sphere, and attach it to the plant cell model with a toothpick.

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