Ant Safari

Reprinted from The Wild Times Teacher Connection v2n3, Spring 1997.

This page is also available in Spanish: Zafari Hormigas en Español

Most of the projects we suggest in The Wild Ones fall within the category of doing science. Children are asked to pose questions and actively participate in the pursuit of answers. This issue is no different in asking children to "Analyze Ants". There are so many different species of ants, and they are found all over the world with, of course, the exception of Antarctica.

With spring coming in the Northern Hemisphere, most of us would love to get outdoors during the day. Our students are no different, so why not capitalize on that human desire to get some fresh air and sunlight, and go on an Ant Safari!

Preparation:

Construct maps of the study area. Simple line maps that can be photocopied will be sufficient. Older students may be able to help with this.

Gather field kits for each group. Each kit should include notebooks, drawing paper, pencils, colored pencils, measuring equipment, hand lenses, and small specimen containers. The kits can be put together in any sturdy container that will be easy for the children to carry.

Divide students into research teams of 2 to 4 children. This will help facilitate increased participation and communication within each group, and provide for the opportunity to share observations, questions, and hypotheses between groups.

Brainstorm questions to which students will attempt to find answers. In science, there are always more questions than answers, so this list will most certainly grow as students get involved in this study.
To get your students started, you might pose some of the following questions:

What new things have you noticed about the way ants act or look?
How frequently do ants enter or leave the nest?
How far do ants travel from the nest?
Do all the ants do the same job, or do they have different jobs?
What is the average speed of an ant?
Does the average speed of an ant vary based on species, air temperature, or other factors?

Field Work:

Explore the schoolyard to find good observation stations. If possible, mark each station with a flag or stake. If safety concerns prohibit this, have students mark their station only on a map of the schoolyard.

Once observation stations are identified, begin collecting data. A dialectic notebook is a helpful structure for older children to organize their thinking. To set up a dialectic notebook, divide your notebook page into two columns.

Observations Hypotheses & Questions

...enter observations here ...enter hypotheses and questions here

In the Classroom:

Bring ants into your classroom for your students to observe. The traditional ant farm provides a convenient way to observe ants' subterranean activities. To populate your ant farm, ants can be purchased from most supply houses, or dig up part of an ant hill from your study site. A clear, 2-liter soda bottle makes an inexpensive container to hold your ant farm. Be sure to cover the bottle with an opaque paper when observations are not being made. This will encourage the ants to tunnel near the edge of the bottle, where they can more easily be observed. A ring of Vaseline around the opening of the ant farm, and placing the ant farm in a pan of water will help prevent ants from escaping.

Have your students prepare graphs, charts, and diagrams to share their data with each other, and publish their work on The Wild Ones web site. When students have questions about their study ants that they cannot answer through observation or books, have them send an e-mail to James Wetterer through our web site.

Final Thoughts

Analyzing Ants provides your students an opportunity to engage in original research, and takes them through all steps of doing science: questioning, observing, analyzing, hypothesizing, testing, concluding, and publishing.

More About Ants

Leaf-Cutting Ants (Atta cephalotes)
Project Atta: student research of Atta texana

Submit your own curriculum plans or resource suggestions to The Wild Ones for publication.

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Observations	Hypotheses & Questions
...enter observations here	...enter hypotheses and questions here