With this activity, kids will get to observe ants and discover what food preferences they have. Gather items you'll need for this activity: honey, leaves, bread crumbs, sugar, lettuce, tuna and a spoon. With supplies in hand, locate an anthill on a sidewalk. Place honey on a leaf. Put some tuna in a spoon. Tear the lettuce into tiny pieces. Spread out these things near the anthill along with some sugar and bread crumbs. Keep the items together, about an inch apart from each other. Wait a few minutes and observe. You'll learn what foods the ants take back to their colony or leave behind. Note any similarities between what they take and leave.
Ants work hard and work together. Kids can learn this concept by building an ant arm and observing ant activities up close. You'll need a large, glass jar with a lid, PVC pipe that fits inside the jar, garden soil, large black ants and a paper bag. Place the PVC pipe inside the jar. Place some garden soil inside the jar and find an active ant colony. Scoop the ants into the jar. Place the ant farm inside the paper bag for about a week, taking it out to feed the ants and observe them. The paper bag will encourage the ants to build tunnels. To feed your ants, place honey on a cotton ball or bread crumbs dipped in sugar inside the jar.
If you're not ready for a hands-on activity with live ants, try an ant-themed craft. For this particular one, you'll need a cardboard egg carton, paint, pipe cleaners and stickers or googly eyes. Cut out a three sections of the egg carton. Paint it black, brown or red. When it's dry, attach pipe cleaners and eyes. Eyes can be drawn on with a marker if you don't have the stickers.
It's no fun when the ants show up at your picnic, unless it's a fun and healthy ant-themed snack. Easy enough for the kids to make, all you need is celery, peanut butter and black raisins. Spread the peanut butter in the groove of a celery stalk and line the raisins on top to resemble ants on a log.