Ant Crafts and Learning Activities

Ant Crafts and Learning Activities for Ant Unit Studies, Ant-Themed Teacher Resources for Homeschools and Children's Ministry

 

 

This simple craft can be used for many learning activities.

Have your children practice writing and reading by writing notes and pretending to have the ants deliver the notes to family members.

Science Learning Activity - Children study the parts of ants and then make the ant craft to reinforce what they have learned.

 

How to Make the Paper Ant Craft:

3. Cut pipe cleaners in half for the legs. You will need two and one half pipe cleaners per ant.

4. Stick the half pipe cleaners through one hole on the side of the ant's body and bring it under the body to the corresponding hole on the other side of the ant's body. Tape the pipe cleaners down between the holes.

5. Bend the legs.

6. Use the other half pipe cleaner for the antennas. Glue the two patterns together so that the pipe cleaners going across the pattern are on the inside. Don't glue the mouth closed.

7. Glue wiggly eyes on the face.

8. As your children read about ants have them write words on sticky notes that they do not know and place them in the ant's mouth. Older children can write facts about ants on the sticky notes.

©2008, Digital by Design, Inc. - See Copyright Information

 

 

This is a great homeschool or preschool activity to reinforce science unit studies about ants and insects. Children will love playing with their ants when they have finished.

What you will need:

Black or Red Plastic Spoons

Black or Red Pipe Cleaners

Low Temp Mini Glue Gun

Scissors

Wiggle Eyes

 

How to Make a Plastic Spoon Ant:

1. Cut the cupped end of one spoon off leaving a short neck. Glue the cupped part onto the end of another spoon so that the end of that spoon is in the middle of the cupped part as shown in the diagram. (Note: You don't have to cut the end off the spoon. You can just glue the two spoons together if the spoons pretty straight.)

2. To make the middle part of the ant thicker you can use the handle of the spoon you cut in half. Cut the handle to fit in the middle of the ant and glue it on.

3. Use three pipe cleaners to make the legs winding them around the middle of the ant. Then wind another pipe cleaner in between the legs to make the middle part thicker.

Tip: If you are making this craft with preschool children, bend the ends of the Chenille stems back with pliers so that they aren’t sharp.

4. To finish glue on googly eyes. (If you have preschool children, you can draw on the eyes with a black Sharpie marker instead of using the googly eyes.)

 

Watch Will make a Spoon Ant Craft on Youtube to see how your children might do making this craft.

©2012, Digital by Design, Inc. - See Copyright Information

 

Dragonfly Plastic Spoon Craft

Cool Kiddy Stuff Website used this ant craft as inspiration to make their own bug crafts. Instead of adding the extra spoon for the ant's body, they added craft stick wings to make an adorable dragonfly.

Check out Cool Kiddy Stuff for more details about this craft, and see their growing list of fun kid crafts.

 

 

How to Make the Styrofoam Ant Craft:

1. Poke two toothpicks halfway into the big end of both egg shapes. Press the ball onto one egg shape and then press the other egg shape onto the other end of the ball shape.

2. Paint the ant with black or red acrylic paint.

3. When the paint is dry cut the pipe cleaners in half, save two halves for the antennae. Fold the other halves in half and twist the ends around each other. Insert the folded pipe cleaners (pointy ends into the Styrofoam) into the middle of the body for legs. Fold them to look like ant legs. Insert the reserved half pipe cleaners into the head and glue on eyes.

©2007, Digital by Design, Inc. - See Copyright Information

 

 

How to Make the Ants:

Cut a piece of craft foam into 5" x 7" rectangles and staple them into tube shapes.

Punch holes in one side of the tube through to the other side with the pipe cleaners. Fold the ends of the pipe cleaners into leg shapes. Punch holes at one end for the antennae. To finish glue on wiggle eyes.

This craft was sent in by Kim Hubbert from Life Park Christian Church.

 

 

These studies do not throw out a lot of facts which your child is expected to memorize. Children learn through investigation, hands-on activities, games, repetition, and creating. Children can create file folder books for each study to help them remember and categorize what they have learned. Children will enjoy looking back at what they have learned, and sharing it with others.

Go to the Bug Buddy Study Lesson Page to see this lesson.

 

 

Those Amazing Ants

by Patricia Brennan

Children of all ages will love this book! I loved this book because the pictures were so amazing. I wanted to reach down and pick up the ants, especially the ones that were all curled up sleeping. The artist made them look so appealing and interesting. You may be able to find it in your local library. If not, Amazon.com has

used ones. They may even have one in paperback. Just click on the picture to the left to go to Amazon. If you click on the link "Search inside this book" under the picture of the book on Amazon.com, you can see the picture of the ants curled up sleeping.

 

The Magic School Bus: Gets Ants In Its Pants: A Book About Ants

By Linda Ward Beech

Ms. Frizzles class is doing a project for the school science fair.  Keesha brings an ant to class and the kids decide to make a movie about it.  When the ant escapes the kids follow it, with the help of the magic school bus,into the anthill.  While there, they learn all about how ants work, and care for the colony.

 

Are You an Ant?

Judy Allen

"Are You an Ant?” is one in a series of Backyard Books by Judy Allen.  Judy uses beautiful watercolor pictures to show a bug’s-eye view of the tiny insects in our backyards. She gives just enough information about the bugs to get your children excited so they want to learn more about the hidden world of insects in their own backyard.

This series is appropriate for Preschool through Grade 3.

 

Ants at the Picnic: Counting by Tens (Know Your Numbers)

by Michael Dahl

This is a fun book that helps children learn to count by tens. In the beginning there is a nice picnic lunch on a checkered tablecloth on the grass.  The ants come and start taking away the food. 

One hundred ants start the story by taking away the potato salad. By the end of the book there are only ten ants left and they carry away the lemonade. On the last page there are facts about ants, and other fun things to look for in the book.

 

 

Counting Ants

(Counting, addition, or Roman numerals) Draw anthills on ten paper plates and number them one to ten. Give your children raisins and have them place the correct number of ants on each plate. Then eat them all up! If you have older children write addition problems or Roman numerals on the plates.

 

One Hundred Hungry Ants

by Elinor J. Pinczes

In this book Pinczes uses ants to teach math concepts in an interesting way. You can use it as an introduction to division. Print out 100 ant cards or use another object such a pennies, and practice dividing up the pennies into two rows of 50, four rows of 25, etc.. as demonstrated in the book.

 

Annie Ant, Don't Cry

by Sigmund Brouwer

Annie learns that skateboarding can be hard but if she keeps trying she will get better. Check out life from a bug's-eye view! Join in the adventures of Arnie and Annie Ant and their family. Through this series of books Sigmund Brouwer gives us a humorous look at everyday life situations.

Children learn the importance of Christian values such as being helpful, loving one's family, setting an example, having courage and taking responsibility. With the vivid illustrations and simple, lively text, these books will be a hit with younger readers.

 

Two Bad Ants

by Chris Van Allsburg

Two ants who go with the colony in search of food.
When they find the food the two ants decide to stay and not go back to the colony. They get into all kinds of trouble and decide that life at the colony is the best place to be.

 

Baby Ant Has Stinky Pants

by Sigmund Brouwer

Something smells funny-but no one wants to change baby's diaper! Check out life from a bug's-eye view! Join in the adventures of Arnie and Annie Ant and their family. Through this series of books Sigmund Brouwer gives us a humorous look at everyday life situations.

Children learn the importance of Christian values such as being helpful, loving one's family, setting an example, having courage and taking responsibility. With the vivid illustrations and simple, lively text, these books will be a hit with younger readers.