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Edible Cell Cookie

Let's learn about cells by making an edible cell cookie! For example, the cell membrane, the outside boundary of the cell, could be a large chocolate chip cookie. Don't forget to add in all the organelles! Some fun, edible ideas for organelles include circus peanuts for the mitochondria, sprinkles for the ribosomes, long, stringy licorice for the endoplasmic reticulum and M&Ms for the vacuoles. When you have finished creating your edible cell, talk about what each organelle does and why it is important for the survival of the cell. You could also make your own cell pudding or cell pizza. Enjoy!

Parts of a Cell

Cells are tiny living things that make up all plants and animals. Every plant consists of millions of tiny plant cells. Every cell is made up of different parts that help it to function. These parts are called organelles. Together, all of the organelles of the cell are like a factory that keeps the cell alive. These are the names and jobs of all the different organelles of a plant cell.

Cell wall - All plant cells (but not animal cells) have a cell wall around them. The cell wall is like the brick walls of a factory; the cell wall helps to support the plant cell, just like walls of a factory keep the building standing up.

Cell membrane - The cell membrane allows certain things to go in and out of the cell. It is like a screen door in a factory; it allows some things to go in and out, but not others.

Cytoplasm - The cytoplasm is the liquid in the cell that all the other organelles float around in. It is like the factory floor; it provides a surface that everything can stand on.

Ribosomes - The ribosomes make proteins. They put together the different pieces of proteins that the cell makes. Ribosomes are like the assembly line in the factory; they use certain materials to put together a product.

Golgi apparatus - The Golgi apparatus, also called Golgi body, packages the proteins that the ribosomes make. They are like the mailroom in the factory; they package things up so that they can be moved.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) - The ER is a transportation network that moves materials. The ER is like the mail truck; it takes materials from the mailroom (the Golgi bodies) and distributes them around the cell.

Mitochondria - The mitochondria produce energy for the cell to use. They are like the power supply for the factory; they are the powerhouse of the cell.

Lysosome - The lysosome digests wastes in the cell. It is like the cleaning crew of the factory; it gets rid of materials in the cell that the cell doesn't need.

Nucleus - The nucleus controls what the cell does and contains the DNA. The nucleus is like the control room of the factory; it tells everything else what to do.

Chloroplast - The chloroplast (only found in plant cells) helps the plant make its own food. It is also like a power supply; it provides the cell with the materials to make food.
Dow AgroSciences
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