The first step to seeing how ants live and interact in an art farm is to build the actual farm. Place a small glass jar inside a larger glass jar. Dig up an ant hill and place the ants and dirt from the hill in the large jar, filling it about two inches from the top. Add a water-soaked cotton ball to water the jar and some food, such as small pieces of bread or fruit. Poke holes in the lid of the jar and screw it on tight, then watch the ants begin to build their new home. Preconstructed ant farms also can be purchased from educational or hobby stores.
Place small pieces of different foods at the top of the dirt in the ant farm to determine what ants like to eat. Choose items such as pieces of cereal, small round candies, pieces of sugar cubes or small pieces of bread dipped in honey. Watch the ants as they eat the food and determine what foods they like best by seeing what foods are gone first. Children can watch the ants carry the food throughout the farm and see how they store and eat the food.
Teach children about the life cycle of an ant, showing pictures of ants at the egg, larvae, pupae and adult stages. Have children observe the ant farm and note examples of the ant life cycle in the farm. If a queen exists in the farm, children should be able to observe eggs and other stages of the ant life cycle.
Ants often move and work quickly; however, temperature has an effect on their speed. Observe the ants in the ant farm at room temperature, paying attention to how fast they are moving. Then place the ant farm in the refrigerator for five minutes. When the farm is taken out of the refrigerator, observe whether the ants have slowed down. Try placing the ants in the freezer for a few minutes and see if the colder temperature makes an even bigger difference.