This post is sponsored by Spielgaben to show how their educational toys can be used in a science classroom or homeschool setting.
Cells are the smallest unit of life. These microscopic wonders are what make life happen. They join together to build living complex organisms using the blueprint each one of them carries inside themselves. Or, one type of cell might be an entire living organism all on its own.
These fascinating bundles of life are sometimes hard to comprehend, especially for young learners. It can be hard to imagine something so small that you cannot see it with the naked eye can be so powerful and so….alive.
To get students to understand and appreciate cells, we need to get a little creative. We need to make them accessible to kids in a way they can easily grasp.
Make A Cell Model
When students first learn about cells, there is usually a labeled cell graphic to go along with the text. The students match the terms and definitions given in the text to the image labels. Graphics in textbooks are awesome, but most kids are hands-on learners so going beyond the flat images is helpful.
I am a big proponent of creating models when studying science. Modeling makes the student study the subject very closely in order to get the size, proportion, and details correct. The time spend creating the various parts correctly helps the student understand the subject more.
Spending this quality time on the subject aids in comprehension and retention of important details much more so than reading and looking at graphics alone.
My son is studying cells with Apologia’s Human Anatomy and Physiology. Even though he read the text and drew a model cell in the notebooking journal, the cell didn’t come to life in his mind until he started creating a 3D model using our Spielgaben educational set.
He spent time looking through the pieces and determining which ones would be a good representation of the various cell parts based on his newly acquired knowledge.
After creating his cell model, he told me all about the different parts and how they worked together. This is step is very important. This is a great review of the material without those boring review questions!
What is your child studying that he or she could benefit from creating models?
Spielgaben Education
We have used so many different types of hands-on educational items and manipulatives over the years. I have to say that Spielgaben is hands-down the highest quality, open-ended, hands-on resource we have found. The sets are not a play with it once and leave it or break it kind of toys. Spielgaben educational toys are built to last for your kids and beyond.
I want you to be able to get these into your home, so check out this great onetime offer from Spielgaben just for readers of The Homeschool Scientist!
[…] about cell membranes, cytoplasm, mitochondria, and nuclei. The students might color cell pictures or build cell models. But, for cells to become reality sometimes we just need to look at them directly. All you need is a […]