Plant cell models are typically rectangle in shape, which makes a cake the ideal foundation for a model. Make a cake like normal and and frost it with one color for a solid foundation. Then use different colors of frosting and candies to represent the different parts of the plant cell. For example, Dots candy or jelly beans can be used for the peroxisome and mitochondrion. Sour Patch Straws can be cut into shorter lengths and used to represent the Golgi body. Licorice sticks can be used for the nuclear membrane and frosting can be used to fill in the nucleolus. Using all different colors in candy and frosting will also make the parts easier to identify.
Salt dough is a dough that can be made at home combining flour, water and salt. Salt dough is easy to mold and it dries hard, so it is ideal for school projects. A plant cell model can be made in one of two ways with the salt dough. You can either separate the dough into different batches and use food coloring to color the dough, or you can make the entire model with the plain colored dough and then paint the model after it dries. Although neither options is particular difficult, the second one is less time consuming.
Make the base of the plant cell first on a piece of wood or stiff cardboard. Mold the pieces of the plant cell out of the salt dough separately, and then stick the pieces onto the cell base in the appropriate spot. Once all the pieces of the cell are included, leave the model to dry over night. Check to see if the model is completely dry before you begin painting it. Paint the different parts of the cell different colors, so they are easy to identify.
Plant cell models can also be made using common craft supplies to represent the parts of the cell on a Styrofoam base. Either cut the Styrofoam to the size you want it to be or buy a piece of Styrofoam at a craft store that is already the size you want it to be. You can use items like cotton balls for the nucleolus or the amyloplast. Pipe cleaners can be used for the cell wall or nuclear membrane. A piece of ribbon can be used to represent the Golgi body, and a colorful puffball can be used to represent the centrosome. Each feature of the plant cell can be represented with a different craft supply.
Before starting a 3-D clay plant model, make a key of each cell feature and the color of clay that will be representing it. This will help when it is finished, but it will also help during the process of making it. It will also help to have a picture of a 3-D model to look at during the process.
Mold the modeling clay into a ball one layer at a time. Start with the center of the cell and work your way to the cell wall. Use different colored clay to represent the different features of the plant cell. Using white clay as your base will make every thing more visible. For example, when it is time to include the Golgi body, you will add strips of colored clay to your already forming ball, and then cover them with more white clay. The last thing you will add is the cell wall, so when you are finished with everything else, add a thin layer of clay in a color other than white to the entire outside of the ball.
Let the ball sit over night to dry. Modeling clay dries quickly, but it needs to be completely dry before you cut it open. Cutting open the cell model can be difficult and should be done by an adult. Use a sharp knife to cut the clay ball in half down the center. When the ball is opened, all the features of the cell will be visible.