ANT FARM EXCAVATION
Ants are fascinating creatures and a very important part of our world. In this fun and quick post, we are going to show you how to make an Ant Farm Excavation.
Fun Fact: There are over twelve thousand species of ants all over the world.
Materials:
- Sand
- Plaster of Paris
- Water
- Mixing bowl
- Wooden spoon
- Measuring cups
- Excavation tools. Wooden dowels and other blunt instruments work well. Sharp tools are unsafe and not necessary as the excavations are reasonably brittle and excavate easily.
- Safety goggles
- Small brush
- Little plastic ants. You can find and purchase these online.
- Container - An old hard plastic clear CD case.
- Optional - I like to provide the excavating adventurer with a set of tweezers. The ants are small and this helps with removing them during the excavation process.
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Instructions:
- Put one cup of sand in your mixing bowl.
- Add one-third cup Plaster of Paris.
- Use the wooden spoon to mix the sand and Plaster of Paris.
- Add one-third cup of water and mix.
- Keep adding small amounts of water until you reach a pancake like batter consistency.
- Pour a thin layer of the mixture into the CD case on the side where the CD would go.
- Allow the mixture to set for a minute or so.
- Now gently push the ants into the mixture. You will want to push some of the ants fully into the mixture while leaving others exposed. You can also line up exposed ants to illustrate how the ants may build and use tunnels.
- Set the Ant Farm Excavation in a safe location to dry undisturbed overnight. I like to put the excavation in front of a fan.
Now the Ant Farm Excavation is ready to be enjoyed. Find an area that is easy to clean up, distribute the safety goggles, excavation tools, and let the excavating begin.
I hope you enjoyed this super quick tutorial and enjoy making an Ant Farm Excavation. These excavations are very easy to make, inexpensive, and a lot of fun!
Pro tip: Use this activity to create some excitement around discussions or lessons regarding ants and ant colonies.
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