Ahh...Ants!

Whether its nice outside, or raining, it's always the perfect time to have a picnic! All you need is food, a blanket or table, and some drinks. We were planning on eating a picnic in the backyard, but the weather didn't cooperate. Instead, I spread a blanket on the floor and we ate in the family room. Lunch was pretty normal, although I made "ants on a log" to go with it. Simply spread peanut butter on a piece of celery and place some "ants" (raisins) on the celery "log". To keep with the bug theme, freeze some raisins in ice cubes to create "fly" ice cubes.

Ants On A Log

After lunch, make some ant artwork! All you need is paper, black craft paint or ink pad, and a thin black marker or pen. Dip your child's finger tip in the paint or ink pad and press three times in a row to create the body of the ant. With the marker/pen, draw on 6 legs and 2 antennae. 

Ant Craft

ANT FACTS:

• Ants can lift 20 times their body weight.
• 
• Ants have 6 legs.
• Ants hear through their feet; they don't have ears!
• Ants breath through tiny holes on their bodies they don't have lungs!
• There are more than 10,000 types of ants.
• A queen ant is the only ant that makes babies.
• Soldier ants protect the colony and the queen. They also gather food.
• Worker ants do not have wings, but the males and queen do.
• Most ants live 45 to 60 days.
• Ants have two stomachs. One is for the food the ant will eat, the other holds food to share with the other ants.
• Worker ants sometimes leave a scent trail for other ants in the colony to find food. Worker ants are female.
• Some types of ants steal larvae from other colonies to work as slaves in their colony.

LINKS:
www.pestworldforkids.org/ants.html
www.lingolex.com/ants.htm
National Geographic
About.com, ants