BUILD A HEALTHY CELLActivity Pack

Description: Make a healthy cell by selecting a type of cell and combining the correct component parts (organelles) in modelling material

Duration of Activity: 10 mins approx.

Age: 7yrs+

Topic: Molecular and Cellular

Key words: Cell, Organelle, Lysosome, Golgi Apparatus, Nucleus, Endoplasmic Reticulum, Mitochondria, Cell Membrane, Ribosome, Nerve Cell, Muscle Cell, Skin Cell, Gut Cell, Stem Cell

Resources: • Instructions and Equipment List• Activity Worksheet• Cell reference sheets• MRC Lab Scale/DNA Poster• Activity Evaluation Poster - Children

Related Activities: Build Your Own Virus

With thanks to MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh

Build a Healthy CellInstructions and Equipment List

Key messages

» A cell is one of the basic structures that builds the body and lets all body functions happen » The cells in your body work together to keep you healthy » Healthy cells make up healthy bodies » Wear and tear, disease, injury and infection can all cause cells to become unhealthy, leading to unhealthy bodies » Stem cells are special cells and can replace unhealthy or dead cells » Stem cells are unusual because they can turn into lots of different types of cell

What MRC Scientists do?

» study stem cells to understand how cells become unhealthy » by studying how stem cells replace unhealthy cells they hope to develop treatments for disease and injury

Activity overview

Understand the basics of a healthy cell by combining the correct component parts (organelles) to make a model of a particular type of cell.

Steps

1. Introduce the cell and use Animal Cell image to explain the function of organelles

2. Invite participant to select a cell to make using Cell Reference Sheets or models

3. Participant use modelling material and select prepared organelles (pre-made using Playdoh factory) to make the chosen cell type in a petri dish

4. If appropriate use this time to talk about importance of Stem Cells

5. Once the cell is complete – cover the petri dish with parafilm and write the type of cell on the dish and name of participant.

Important notes

» The level of complexity of this activity can be layered up depending on the understanding of the participant.

» The red blood cell is the simplest cell to make and most appropriate for participants that may struggle making shapes.

Suggested Script and background information

The best way to gauge understanding of participants is to ask them questions like

» Does anyone know what a cell is? » Do you think all cells look the same?

The human body is built of lots of tiny parts, called cells; much like a house is built of bricks. There are lots of different types of cells, each with their own job

Just as in a house, a window lets in light, wires carry electricity and pipes carry water, each type of cell has its own job and work together to help you think, talk, laugh run about and stay healthy.

Skin cells protect our body, muscle cells allow you to walk, nerve cells work together to carry messages from the brain, and gut cells carry food through our bodies and help us get energy from it.

We also have stem cells (adult stem cells) in different areas of our body that are able to replace cells in that area, for example, skin stem cells can make skin cells.

Each cell is made up of smaller parts call organelles. All these small parts must be present and working properly for the cell to be healthy. Like the parts of a machine.

Scientists grow cells in the laboratory – often in petri dishes – so they can study how they work and how they can be sued to make new medicines.

Today you are going to make a healthy cell by selecting and combining the correct mini structures - component parts (organelles).

» Cell Membrane: like a plastic bag it protects the cell, keeps all organelles together but can let things in and out (your membrane is the petri dish)

» Nucleus: Controls everything that happens in the cell and stores its genetic instructions.

» Mitochondrion: The cell’s power station, they produce lots of energy.

» Lysosome: Gobble up all the waste and food in the cell and break them up.

» Endoplasmic reticulum: Moves useful molecules around the cell.

» Ribosome: Make the proteins that do most of the cells work.

» Golgi apparatus: Packs proteins into tight balls for the cell to use or squeeze out so other cells can use them. Use the Cell Models/Reference sheet to put the correct organelles into your cell.

Cell Design

Create example Cells using Reference Sheets

Nerve Cell Muscle Cell Skin Cell Gut Cell Red Blood CellFor younger participants

Further information on stem cells

Stem cell can turn into any other cell type depending on the instructions received from the body. If a cell becomes unhealthy stem cells have the ability to replace dead or damaged cells with new healthy cells.

Stem Cells offer important opportunities to:

» understand the development of diseases, » to develop and test new drugs » to develop new treatments for disease.

The realisation of this immense potential requires:

» research to understand the fundamental biology of stem cells; » the development of reliable methods for the derivation, maintenance and differentiation of human stem cells from

embryos and tissues; » establishment of key enabling protocols and technologies.

MRC Researchers are working hard to achieve these goals.

For further information visit MRC Research

nucleus

endoplasmic reticulum

ribosome

DNA

Golgi apparatus

mitochondrion

lysosome

Skin cell

lysosomenucleusendoplasmic reticulum

mitochondrion

ribosome

Gut cell

DNA

Golgi apparatus

DNA

Golgi apparatus

mitochondrion

lysosome

nucleus

endoplasmic reticulum

ribosome

Nerve cell

DNA

lysosome

nucleus

endoplasmic reticulum

ribosome

Golgi apparatusmitochondrion

Muscle cell

oxygen

Red blood cell

No organelles: only job is to carry oxygen around the body!

Build a Healthy CellEquipment List

Staging

This activity is best conducted on tables that participants can stand or sit.

Required

» Modelling Material – Play Doh various bright colours 5 pots … sufficient for approx. 100 cells

» Play Doh fun factory – to make organelles

» Parafilm or Polybags small – to cover Petri dishes

» Petri dishes – Untreated plastic Petri dishes, 90mm diameter allow one per participants plus extra for prepared organelles

» Cell Reference Sheets – print and laminate

Optional

» Worksheet – one per participant

» Stem Cell Models

» MRC Lab Scale/DNA Poster

» Lab coat – one per participant

» Activity evaluation poster – children

BUILD A HEALTHY CELLWorksheet

Your body is made of millions of tiny cells that work together to help you think, talk, laugh, run around and stay healthy. Each cell is made up of even tinier parts called organelles that each have a job to do to keep the cell alive.

Scientists grow cells in the lab so they can study how they work and how they could be used to develop new medicines.

Each cell is covered by a thin skin called a cell membrane. It gives the cell shape and protects it from harm but also allows messages to squeeze in and out of the cell. The organelles are inside the cell membrane. The diagram of a human cell shows the organelles’ names and describes the jobs they do. They may be tiny but they have big names and even bigger jobs.

Your job is to build a healthy cell out of play dough by putting all the tiny bits together. Look at the cell pictures for inspiration!

a human cell looks a bit like this

LysosomeGobbles up all the waste and food in the cell and breaks it up

Golgi apparatusPacks proteins into tight balls

for the cell to either use or squeeze out so that other

cells can use them

NucleusControls everything that happens in the

cell and stores its genetic instructions

RibosomeMakes the proteins that

do most of the cell’s work

Endoplasmic reticulumMoves useful molecules around the cell

MitochondrionOne of the cell’s power stations, it produces lots of energy

Cell membraneLike a plastic bag, keeps cell parts together but lets things in and out

MRCMRC

CELL FACTS

Organelles are mini structures that make cells work

Red blood cells

Brain cells

mitochondrion

Golgi apparatus

nucleus

ribosome

lysosome

ERendoplasmic reticulum

cell membrane

An animal cell

Cells in your body

Muscle cells

Red blood cells

Skin cells

Gut cells

Nerve cells

lysosomenucleusendoplasmic reticulum

mitochondrion

ribosome

Gut cell

DNA

Golgi apparatus

DNA

lysosome

nucleus

endoplasmic reticulum

ribosome

Golgi apparatusmitochondrion

Muscle cell

DNA

Golgi apparatus

mitochondrion

lysosome

nucleus

endoplasmic reticulum

ribosome

Nerve cell

nucleus

endoplasmic reticulum

ribosome

DNA

Golgi apparatus

mitochondrion

lysosome

Skin cell

oxygen

Red blood cell

No organelles: only job is to carry oxygen around the body!