|
| |
Observing Ants
|
|
Ants may seem like scary pests to some
children, but these insects are actually an important part of our world.
They help us by:
keeping ecosystems balanced by consuming plants, dead animals, and other
insects.
bringing air into soil and turning it over by digging tunnels through it.
spreading seeds.
Take your child out on a nature walk to observe ants and learn more about
these creatures.
|
  |
What you need:
A place to walk where ants may be found.
A notebook and a set of colored pencils.
What you do:
Find some ants to observe. Ant colonies are often located under rocks or
logs (especially rotting ones). You can also sprinkle crumbs on dirt, wait
to see if any ants come to collect them, and then follow the ants back to
their home.
Tell your child that Beatrix Potter loved studying and sketching plants
and animals to learn about them. Have your child take notes and draw
pictures of what he or she observes while watching the ants. Suggest that
your child try to identify different kinds of ants, what their bodies look
like, and what kinds of jobs they do.
Some ants do have painful stings, so be careful not to get any ants on
you!
What you can talk about:
In general, the three types of ants are the queen (who lays eggs), the
males (who help the queen make eggs), and the female workers (who do work
such as catching and scavenging food, taking care of the queen, caring for
flocks of aphids, or building and maintaining the colonys nest). Discuss
these types with your child and try to identify examples of each.
Ants can do lots of amazing things, such as lift objects many times
heavier than themselves and use pheromones to indicate the way to food and
water. Have your child try to identify examples of these and other
interesting feats.
Literature Link
For more detailed information about the jobs different ants
do, you can read
Ant Cities by Arthur Dorros. |
|
