This activity is inspired by the class kid’s snack, also called “Ants on a Log”. That snack is typically made with celery sticks, peanut butter, and raisins, and would make a tasty accompaniment to your next outdoor play picnic!
Set up Time: 5 minutes
Directions
- Invite children to search for a good stick. This is subjective, as children see treasures where adults might not! Children can gather one large stick per child, and perhaps some small twigs for legs and antennae.
- Settle in the grass, at a picnic table, or on some porch steps and bring out your play dough. The play dough might get a little dirty, so we recommend making your own, or using some older play dough that you don’t mind getting dirty. (note: you can find our recipe for Best Basic Play dough in the Rayz Kidz app by using the search bar or in the “Basics” section).
- Invite children to make their ants!
Materials
- Collected natural materials (leaves, sticks, grass, flowers)
- Play dough
Learning Through Play
Cognitive: Connections – Children are best able to connect to a concept when they can see, feel, taste, touch, and hear it. So, instead of focusing on a flashcard to learn about ants, here children are able to bring ant anatomy to life by making their own!
Social-Emotional: Empathy – Embrace this slow and quiet activity to talk about ants. Ants are fascinating creatures, because children love to observe their movements. How should we react if an ant crawls on to us? How can we treat ants nicely? Not all ants bite, and most ants are going about there day, minding their own business. There is a wonderful book called “Hey, Little Ant” that approaches this exact topic in case you need some tips about how to teach this ant and insect empathy to children.
School Readiness: Rhymes – This activity is a wonderful chance to sing the song “The Ants Go Marching”. This song is not only wonderful for learning our numbers, but it is a fantastic song for learning rhymes! Check out the Youtube link below in case you need to brush up on your lyrics.
See this activity in the Rayz Kidz app along with the other activities in the theme “Insects – Ants”. Rayz Kidz is your trusted source for play-based activities featuring over 100 themes and 500+ hands-on activities and clear descriptions of the beautiful learning that is happening through play.
