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How to Make a Project on Cells out of Styrofoam

Understanding the different parts of an animal cell can be difficult for students, as they cannot see a real cell without looking through a microscope. Creating a 3-dimensional model of an animal cell can help students understand how the cell works and that it is made up of many tiny organelles that help the cell function. Using a styrofoam ball, some craft supplies and a little imagination, a science student can build a model of an animal cell for study.

Things You'll Need

  • Styrofoam ball
  • Markers
  • Glue
  • Various craft items, such as beads, pipe cleaners, clay and ribbon
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Instructions

    • 1

      Using a knife, carefully cut the styrofoam ball in half. If necessary, use the knife to make the flat surface of one of the halves an even plane.

    • 2

      Color the outside of the ball with a red marker to indicate the cell membrane. Alternately, you may choose to glue a piece of ribbon around the outer edge of the ball to represent the cell membrane.

    • 3

      Color the flat surface of the styrofoam ball with a pink marker. This indicates the cytoplasm.

    • 4

      Create the cell's nucleus out of modeling clay. Glue it to the center of the flat portion of the ball.

    • 5

      Select other craft supplies to represent other of the cell's organelles. You can use beads for ribosomes and bent pipe cleaners for endoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria. Glue these pieces to the flat surface of the ball. Alternately, you can fashion the organelles out of various colors of modeling clay and glue them to the ball.

    • 6

      Create a key or labels to point out each organelle to make your model easy to interpret.

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