By Kelly Sundstrom, Updated Mar 24, 2022

Animal and plant cells share many fundamental characteristics, yet their distinct structures—such as a plant cell’s rigid wall versus an animal cell’s flexible membrane—are crucial to understand. 3‑D polymer clay models bring these differences to life, making the concepts easier to grasp in a classroom setting.

Animal Cell Construction

Step 1

Form a pea‑sized red polymer clay sphere to serve as the nucleolus.

Step 2

Wrap the nucleolus with a ½‑inch layer of yellow polymer clay; this forms the nucleus.

Step 3

Encircle the nucleus with a 1‑inch layer of orange polymer clay to create the cytoplasm.

Step 4

Attach three pea‑sized purple clay pieces to the cytoplasm; these represent the Golgi apparatus.

Step 5

Apply an additional ½‑inch orange layer over the cytoplasm.

Step 6

Insert a ½‑inch blue clay disk into the cytoplasm to model the vacuole.

Step 7

Finish the cell with a thin ¼‑inch white clay coating that acts as the plasma membrane.

Plant Cell Construction

Step 1

Follow Steps 1–5 from the animal cell procedure to build the core.

Step 2

Distribute five to six pea‑sized green clay pieces across the cytoplasm to represent chloroplasts.

Step 3

Add another ½‑inch orange layer around the nucleus to deepen the cytoplasm.

Step 4

Cover the entire construct with a ½‑inch thick green layer, then press it into a cube shape to form the cell wall.

Baking the Models

Step 1

Use a clay wire to slice each model through the middle, revealing the internal organelles.

Step 2

Place the sections on a jelly roll tray and bake at 200 °F for 15 minutes.

Step 3

Allow the clay to cool completely before displaying the finished models.

Materials Required

• Polymer clay in red, yellow, orange, purple, blue, and green
• Clay wire
• Jelly roll pan
• Oven capable of 200 °F