Cell Explorer
Meet the parts of plant and animal cells, one organelle at a time.
Cell Explorer shows a cell diagram with lettered pointers, and the child names the part each pointer marks. The first level sticks to the big parts, such as the nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplast, mitochondria and vacuole. Each right answer comes with a one or two sentence note about what that part does for the cell.
From there the questions shift to jobs and comparisons. Children decide what a part does, whether a drawing shows a plant or an animal cell, and why plant cells have certain parts. Higher levels add the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, ribosomes and lysosomes, and the last level asks the child to tap the part directly.
What children practice
- Name the parts of a plant or animal cell
- Match each organelle to the job it does
- Tell a plant cell from an animal cell by its parts
- Explain why plant cells have a wall and chloroplasts
- Identify the ER, Golgi, ribosomes and lysosomes
- Tap a named cell part on a diagram
Levels
- Level 1: Name the big parts
- Level 2: What does the part do?
- Level 3: Plant or animal cell?
- Level 4: ER, Golgi, ribosomes
- Level 5: Match the job
- Level 6: Tap the part
How it works
- There are six levels, from the big parts of the cell to tapping a part.
- Getting five answers right and finishing the timer lets your child move up a level.
- If an answer is wrong, the game invites another try instead of moving on.
- Each question has a speaker button that reads it aloud, so a child who is still sounding out cell words can listen first.
Best for: A good fit for grades 4 to 9, whether a child is meeting cells for the first time or reviewing organelles before a science test.
Tip for parents: Compare the cell to something familiar, such as a house or a school, and ask what each part would be. Making your own analogy helps children remember what the mitochondria and nucleus do.
Questions parents ask
Which cell parts are in Cell Explorer?
The parts include the nucleus, cytoplasm, cell membrane, cell wall, chloroplasts, mitochondria and vacuole. Level 4 adds the endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi, ribosomes and lysosomes, with questions about what each one does.
How does the game teach the difference between plant and animal cells?
Level 3 shows a cell and asks whether it is a plant or an animal cell, asks which of two cells is which, and asks why plant cells have a certain part. Animal cell questions ask which part it does not have.
What is the tap the part level?
On Level 6 the question names a part, and your child taps that spot on the cell drawing instead of choosing from a list. It checks that they can find the organelle on the picture, not only recall its name.
Ready to try it?
Cell Explorer is free with a parent account. A parent adds a child profile, and the child's progress is saved.