The ants go marching two by two, hurrah, hurrah!
Updated: Aug 24
Alyssa Huang from AspireED's summer team introduces 1st and 2nd graders to insects by building live ant hills.
"Ants are cool!" the kids exclaim. One thing we've learned: kids love live creatures :)
Alyssa Huang, Jasmine Angulo, and Meerab Irfan introduced students to what makes up an insect: 6 legs, 3 segments (head, thorax, abdomen), and an exoskeleton. "What's an exoskeleton?" they asked. "Ants don't have bones like us," we responded, "Instead, they have exoskeletons, or hard outer shells, that provide structure and protection."
After learning about ant cities and division of labor within an ant colony, we surprised the kids and led them outside.
Outside, seven groups of elementary students took turns creating their own ant hills. They added sand, a small amount of water, and packed the sand down so that the ants could tunnel more easily.
Then, it was time to add the ants - two tubes for each! Alyssa, Meerab, and Jasmine took care of this step, because the ants can sting.
Over the next week, the kids will feed the ants, provide them water, and observe their tunneling before we release the ants in one week.
Hurrah!
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