Explain · analogy · Like I'm five version
Animal cells and plant cells in terms of a tent and a log cabin
An animal cell is like a bouncy tent, while a plant cell is like a sturdy log cabin.
A tent is made of thin fabric that can bend and change its shape when you push on it. This is just like an animal cell, which has a soft outer layer called a membrane. Because it is flexible, the cell can move around and squeeze into small gaps, much like how you might wiggle your toes inside a stretchy sock.
A log cabin is made of thick, hard logs that stay exactly where you put them. A plant cell has a wall made of strong stuff called cellulose that acts just like these heavy logs. This wall keeps the plant standing up tall, so it does not flop over when the wind blows or when it needs to reach up high for the sunshine.
Inside the log cabin, there is a big storage room for water that acts like a solid pillar. This is called a vacuole, and it pushes against the walls to keep the cabin firm and strong. If the plant does not get enough water, the pillar gets small, and the cabin starts to look a bit sad and droopy. It is much easier to keep a tent flat on the grass than it is to build a cabin, but the cabin stays up much better when the weather gets a bit grumpy.
Where the analogy breaks downA tent cannot fold itself up and walk away, and a log cabin cannot make its own food from the sun.