ClassX Video Lessons Cells for Kids | Learn about cell structure and function in this engaging and fun intro to cells
Have you ever played with Legos or building blocks? If you have, you know how different pieces come together to create something amazing. Cells are like those blocks, but instead of building toys, they build all living things! Everything from you and your pets to flowers and trees is made up of cells.
Did you know that a baby starts as just one cell? This cell divides and grows into a tiny ball of cells called a blastocyst. The blastocyst eventually becomes an embryo, which develops into a baby. By week five, the embryo’s cells start getting special jobs, like forming the heart, brain, and other organs. After about 40 weeks, a baby is ready to be born!
Most cells are so tiny that you need a microscope to see them. A microscope makes small things look bigger, allowing us to see the different parts of a cell. Just like blocks, cells come in various shapes and sizes and have different jobs.
Both animal and plant cells have three main parts:
Here’s a fun fact: When you crack open an egg, you’re looking at a large cell! You can even label the parts like the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell membrane.
Plant cells have two extra parts:
Did you know that everything we eat comes from plants or animals that eat plants? Even a hamburger comes from a cow that eats grass!
While plant and animal cells have similarities, they also have differences. Animal cells are soft and flexible, while plant cells are more rigid and rectangular. Plant cells can also be larger than animal cells.
Scientists can do incredible things with cells. Stem cells are special cells that can create new cells in our bodies. They help us grow and heal. Stem cells are found in places like bone marrow and a baby’s umbilical cord. After birth, doctors can save the cord blood to help treat certain diseases.
Some plant cells are even used to make biodegradable plastics, which break down faster and are better for the environment than regular plastics.
Just like bricks build houses, cells are the building blocks of all living things. They help create the amazing world around us!
Cell Observation Adventure: Find a magnifying glass or a simple microscope and explore different objects around your home or garden. Look at a leaf, a piece of fruit, or even a drop of water. What do you notice about the shapes and sizes of the cells? Draw what you see and label the parts of the cells, like the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell membrane. Discuss with your family how these cells might be similar or different from human cells.
Build a Cell Model: Use craft materials like clay, playdough, or even food items like jelly beans and pasta to create a model of a cell. Make sure to include the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell membrane. If you’re making a plant cell, add a cell wall and chloroplasts. Once your model is complete, explain to a friend or family member how each part of the cell works and why it’s important.
Cell Detective Game: Go on a “cell hunt” in your kitchen. Look at different foods and think about whether they come from plants or animals. For example, an apple comes from a plant, and cheese comes from milk, which is produced by animals. Discuss how cells in plants and animals might be different and why these differences are important for their functions.
**Cells**
Have you ever built something using Legos or blocks? If you have, you probably used many different kinds, sizes, and colors. Cells are like Legos; they are the building blocks of life. In fact, all living organisms are made up of cells: you, your pets, and other animals. Cells also make flowers, trees, and plants.
There are three important things to remember about cells:
1. All living things are made of one or more cells. Unicellular means it is a single-celled organism like bacteria or yeast. Multicellular means it is made up of many cells. You are multicellular because it took many cells to make you. In fact, it took 30 trillion cells!
2. Cells are the basic unit of life or the building blocks.
3. New cells come from existing cells through division. This means that cells make new cells by dividing themselves over and over again.
Did you know that a baby starts out as a single cell? That cell then divides until it forms a tiny ball of cells called a blastocyst. A blastocyst is a group of cells surrounded by an outer shell. Eventually, that inner group of cells becomes what we call an embryo. That embryo is what develops into a baby. The outer group of cells, called membranes, protects and nourishes the embryo, keeping it alive and growing.
By week five, the embryo’s cells are doing much more than just multiplying and dividing. These different cells are beginning to be assigned various jobs. Some of the cells divide to become the baby’s kidneys, while others become blood cells and nerve cells. Others become the baby’s brain, heart, and spinal cord. At about 40 weeks or 9 months, an entire baby has grown from that tiny group of cells.
Nearly all cells are very tiny and can’t be seen without a special tool called a microscope. You have probably seen a microscope and maybe even used one before. They make small things look bigger. Under a microscope, you can see the different parts of a cell. Just like blocks, cells have different shapes, colors, designs, and jobs.
There are three basic parts of animal and plant cells: the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell membrane. The nucleus is the brain of the cell, meaning that it controls the cell. Cytoplasm is everything outside of the nucleus but inside the cell wall. It is a clear gel-like fluid that gives cells their shape and holds everything in place. The cell membrane is made up of fats and proteins. It is the wall around the cell, keeping important things inside, like nutrients, and unwanted things out, like waste.
Here’s a cool fact: Did you know that each time you break open an egg, you see a large cell? (You can label the parts of an egg with the nucleus, cytoplasm, and cell membrane.)
Plant cells are unique because they have two additional parts that animal cells do not. They contain another protective barrier called the cell wall, which surrounds the cell membrane. Both the cell wall and the cell membrane protect and support the cell. The cell wall is made of a strong material that helps the cell keep its shape. It also filters molecules that pass in and out of the cell. Chloroplasts are the other extra part of a plant cell. They create sugar through photosynthesis, using energy from the sun to produce food for the plant.
A cool thing about plants is that everything we eat is either from a plant or from something that ate plants. If you eat a hamburger, the meat comes from a cow that feeds on plants.
Plant and animal cells have many things in common as well as many differences. Animal cells are squishy, movable, and not regularly shaped, while plant cells are rectangular and rigid. Plant cells can be bigger than animal cells.
There are some really amazing things that scientists can do with cells. Stem cells are unique special cells found in animals and humans. They produce new cells for our bodies as they grow. Some of these cells are found in your bone marrow, inside your bones. Stem cells can replace damaged or missing cells in your body. They are also found in a baby’s umbilical cord. After a baby is born, a doctor saves the blood from the umbilical cord. Cord blood is used for people with certain cancers or blood diseases to help the good cells regrow.
Some plant cells are now being used to make biodegradable plastics. Instead of products made from oil that don’t break down and sit in our landfills for years, these new products made from plant cells break down quicker and are less harmful to our environment.
Just like bricks are the building blocks of houses and other buildings, cells are the building blocks of animals and plants.
