When teaching about the parts of the cell, increase your child’s interest by having them build an edible model of a cell. The type of cell and the type of model depend on the age of the child and your snack preference for them.
If your child is older they can research “parts of a cell” online to find many different diagrams of different types of cells. Help your child find a diagram at an appropriate level for their age and understanding. If you have a younger child, you may want to select the diagram for them. Children should then decide which cell parts they want to include in their model. Encourage them to find out more about each part . . . what does it look like and what does it do for the cell?
Next, decide on what type of edible model you want your child to make. Two popular choices are cookies and pizzas, but any snack that provides a flat surface to “decorate” will work. Whichever snack you choose, prepare the “base” (cookie, pizza crust, etc.), and collect a variety of toppings your child can use to represent the cell parts. A wide variety of shapes and colors will allow for more creativity and interest.
Children should select a topping that best represents each part of the cell they have decided to include in their model. Help them decorate the snack base to accurately model a real cell. Relative size, shape, and number of cell parts should be considered. Do stress to your child that the diagram they are using is just another person’s model of a cell and they do not have to look exactly alike!
Challenge your child to tell you the name and function of each cell part in their edible model before they eat it! You may also want to take pictures of the model before it disappears.
