Cytology crafts

We finished our introduction to cytology last week.  Instead of a regular lesson on our science day, we had a cell-abration!  We have been learning about organelles and their functions as well as the differences between plant and animal cells.  Cell division was a difficult topic with big words for some of them, but I've been surprised at how much information they retained.  Learning about prokaryotic cells was exciting and has helped reinforce some good habits.  We also talked about many scientists who influenced our knowledge today, and how we are thankful for their work.

Here are our cell models, made on paper plates with food items.  I found a use for that pink frosting in a can we were given!  It became cytoplasm and was sticky enough to hold the organelles in place.

Everyone wanted to make a plant and animal cell.  Then we talked about how we all made the same thing but each cell looked different. 

Our next project was drawing a model of a cell on plastic shrinking film.  I remember doing Shrinky-Dinks at my grandmother's house when I was a child, but my children have never had that experience.  I thought it was just as much fun as it was 30 years ago, and my kids enjoyed it too.  They were thinking of all kinds of things to make with the scrap pieces of film.

 (Instagram/cell photo) The finished and shrunken cell drawings.  One child made both plant and animal cells!

Now we're on to botany!

We use The Family School curriculum, this is science year 3.