ScienceMakers Toolkit Manual - The History Makers

3. “Edible Cell” Activity
Now that the students have had the opportunity to learn a little about cells, tell them that they are going to make
a cell . . . that they can eat!
• Give each student an individual JELL-O Gelatin snack pack. Ask them what they think the JELL-O
represents in the cell (cytoplasm). Then ask what is the role of the cytoplasm.
• Then ask what represents the cell membrane (the JELL-O container) and what the cell membrane does.
Next, tell the students to each pick up a large gumball and place it in the middle of the JELL-O cup. Ask
the group what this gumball represents (the nucleus), and what the part of the cell does.
• Continue to walk the students through this activity so that they are adding candy to the cell that represents
the various parts of the cell. Encourage the students to talk about the function of each part as they place
it in the JELL-O.
Lysosomes: 2 Skittles
Golgi Body: Piece of Licorice
Mitochondria: Jelly Bean
Ribosomes: prinkles S
Endoplasmic Reticulum: Piece of a Fruit Roll-up
• After all of the parts of the cell have been added and discussed, have the students put their edible cells
aside until after the next activity.
4. “Examining Cells” Activity
**Remind the students not to eat anything for about an hour prior to this activity so that the cheek cells remain
intact and can be collected.
• The students should now be somewhat familiar with the structure of the cell, and they will have the
chance to study cells under a microscope. Ask the students: Even though cells are incredibly small, is
there a way for us to look at cells? By using a microscope, we can study the structure of different cells.
Scientists use very powerful microscopes to study cell structure, but we can still see certain parts of a
cell through our microscope.
• Ask the group to think about how they could go about collecting cell samples from their own bodies.
Since our bodies are made entirely out of different cells, it should be an easy task. One place to fi nd cells
easily is on the inside of our cheeks. We are constantly shedding cheek cells and growing new ones, so
this is a perfect way to collect cell samples, Tell the groups to follow the guide for the next cell activity.
Activity Guide
1. Use an eyedropper to place one drop of water on a slide.
2. Take a toothpick and gently scrape the inside of your cheek. This scraping action will collect some
cheek cells. Gently wipe the cells into the drop of water on the slide.
3. Using an eye dropper, place a drop of iodine on the cheek cell sample. The iodine will stain the cheek
cells to make it easier to see under the microscope. Then, carefully place the plastic cover slip on top of
the cells
**The water and iodine should only be between the cover slip and the slide. If there is too much
liquid and the cover slip is fl oating over the cells, you can remove some of it by holding a piece
of paper towel next to the cover slip This will soak up the excess liquid.
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Life Science