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How to Build a Giant Ant Farm

Creating a giant ant farm is a fun way for children to develop an interest in nature and learn observation skills. It does not take a lot of time or special skills to make an ant farm. Children who create ant farms learn to feed animals smaller than they are, develop a respect for nature, and observe how things in nature work as they get to watch the ants develop and grow.

Things You'll Need

Large, clear container such as a jar or old fish tank
Ants
Dirt
Leaves, grass, sticks
Garden hand shovel
Food for the ants
Cover for the container such as paper bag or old pillowcase

Instructions

- 1
  
  A glass jar is an ideal home for your ants.
  
  Wash out and dry an old glass jar or an old fish tank that has a lid. This will give your ants a clean home to live in and it will remove any unwanted chemicals or germs that may kill your ants while they are living in the jar.
- 2
  
  You should be able to poke holes in the lid of the jar.
  
  Examine the clear container you plan to put the ants in and make sure the lid fits tightly on top. Place several tiny air holes in the lid. The air holes should be very small so that the ants cannot escape from the container.
- 3
  
  Look for ants in the yard.
  
  Search the yard for a nice ant pile that has larger ants in it. Have an adult examine the ants to make sure that they are not a species of ants that bite.
- 4
  
  Place the ants in the container with a garden tool.
  
  Dig around the area that has ants with a garden shovel and move the dirt, ants and ant eggs from the ground to the glass container. Fill the container with dirt almost to the top.
- 5
  Add a few leaves, grass and sticks to the top of the dirt. This will give the ants objects to climb on and explore.
- 6
  Place the cover on the jar before you bring your new ant farm into the house. This will prevent the ants from escaping and wandering around your home.
- 7
  
  Feed the ants daily.
  
  Feed and water the ants daily and make sure to remove old food from the container. The ants will eat fruit such as apple bits or cut up melons. They will also eat sugar water, old crusts of bread and honey.
- 8
  Cover the ant farm with a dark covering when you are not viewing the farm. Examples of good coverings can be a paper bag or an old pillowcase. Ants enjoy dark places and will make tunnels closer to the container's surface if the container is covered so that they feel safe.

Insects & Science