Discuss:
Ants are usually 2-7mm long. Ants,
like all insects, have 6 jointed legs, three body parts (the head,
thorax and abdomen), a pair of antennae, and a hard exoskeleton. The
exoskeleton is made up of a material that is like our
fingernails. Ants can be many colors from yellow to brown to red to
black.
HEAD
Feelers
or Antennae - to touch and smell with
Mandibles
(jaws) - to carry, dig, defend and eat with
Compound
eyes -to see many of the same thing with
Brain
- to process with (ants have the largest brain among all insects)
THORAX (OR TRUNK)
6
legs - with a sharp claw on each end
Tarsi
(feet) – small hooks on feet to help the ant walk up trees
ABDOMEN (OR METASOMA)
Stinger
- the common Black Ants and wood Ants have formic acid instead
2
stomachs - one for the ant and one for the colony
Scent
gland – emits chemical odors that the ant uses to mark trails
Read:
Tiny
Workers by
Nancy Loewen
Comprehension
Questions:
- What are the three body parts of an ant (and all insects)? Head, thorax and abdomen
- What are the mandibles used for? to carry, dig, defend and eat with
- How many legs does an ant have? Six
- What are the ants antennae used for? To touch, smell, talk and feel with
Clothespin
Ant
Discuss:
An
ant has 3 body parts head,
thorax, and abdomen. On the head are the feelers or antennae for
touching and smelling with. The head also has compound eyes which
have many tiny lenses. The thorax has 6 legs with a sharp claw on
each end and these help the ant climb better and run fast.
Materials:
- Black paint
- paintbrush
- clothespin
- black pipe cleaner
- 3 large black buttons
- glue
- googly eyes
Directions:
- Paint your clothespin black.
- Thread a 4-inch-long black pipe cleaner stems through the two holes of a large black button.
- Twist and curl the ends of pipe cleaner stems where they meet to form antennae.
- Glue googly eyes just below the antennae.
- Next, cut three 3-inch pieces of black pipe cleaner for each pair of legs.
- Have your child help you thread all three though the spring hole in the clothespin and adjust to form the legs.
- Glue the face and two more black buttons to the top of the clothespin.
Ant
Anatomy
Review:
HEAD
Feelers
or Antennae - to touch and smell with
Pinchers
- to carry, dig, defend and eat with
Compound
eyes - to see many of the same thing with
Brain
- the better to process with
THORAX
6
legs with a sharp claw on each end
ABDOMEN
Poison
sac
Stinger
- the common Black Ants and wood Ants have formic acid instead
2
stomachs - one for me and one for the colony
Directions: We used the Ant Anatomy Activity sheet to help with this review.
Adding
Ants
Directions:
- Use a piece of construction paper to write the combination answer in the middle circle (6),
- and all the “legs” are the possible ways you could reach that number (2+4, 4+2, 6+0, 33+3, 1+5, 1+5)
- Use tiny plastic ants to help demonstrate each combination.
Ant
Talk
Discuss: Ants
express themselves by using these senses.
TOUCH-
Ants tap one another with their antennae to announce the discovery of food
and to ask for food.
SMELL-
They emit pheromones that other ants smell through their antennae. This
warns them of danger, says hello, or helps others to work harder.
SOUND-
When they are trapped, they rub the joint between their waist and abdomen
to make a squeaky sound that other ants hear through their legs.
TASTE-
They exchange food with other ants mouth to mouth. This sharing of nutrition
and chemicals says, "We're Family!"
Directions: We used page 36 and 37 of this download for our Ant Talk activity.
2 comments:
Thank you for sharing all your Unit Studies and Ideas. Im excited to use many of them in our homeschool this year.
Rachael from California
This looks great! Thank you so much for sharing!
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