Ants are specifically mentioned twice in the Bible.
“Go to the ant, O sluggard; consider her ways and be wise. Without having any chief, officer, or ruler, she prepares her bread in summer and gathers her food in harvest.” Proverbs 6:6-8
“Four things on earth are small, but they are exceedingly wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer.” Proverbs 30:24-25
In scripture, ants are used as an example of diligence and hard work. They do not use their tiny size as an excuse; they simply get their work done. They prepare ahead of time and thus are ready for whatever is to come.
“Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men.” Colossians 3:23
Looking to ants as an example is a great idea during these lazy days of summer.
One of the first times I realized how amazing ants are happened when I was on vacation in California. I was in a room on the second floor of a hotel. I had chicken for dinner and left the bones in the garbage can. In the morning there was a line of ants from the ground, up two floors, in the window and to the garbage can! Hundreds and hundreds of tiny ants were all in a line. It was an amazing example of the lengths they go through to gather food.
Ants are worth studying. They are a complex species. A simple search will give you hundreds of ant facts to learn. Here are a few to get your kids started.
ANT FACTS:
- There are over 12,000 ant species in the world.
- Some queen ants live more than 30 years.
- A single ant can carry over 50 times its own body weight.
- Ants live on every continent except ANTarctica (get it?).
- Ants live in colonies. They have one or more queens and female ants tend to the queen, the eggs, and the colony. Male ants have wings and only breed.
- Ants have six legs and run fast.
- They leave scent trails to communicate with other ants.
- Ants love sweet foods.
- Ants do not have ears but feel vibrations instead.
- Ant’s bodies have three sections: the head, the thorax and the abdomen. Add six legs and antennas and you have an ant. Once you know their basic anatomy you can create all kinds of ants out of all kinds of things.
Ann Kirsten
On a recent hot day, I put my granddaughter to work and she made these ant crafts. There is nothing like a craft to bring a lesson home.
ANT ROCKS
You’ll need: rocks and black paint or pens, brushes, and white paint if desired. Paint ants onto rocks (using the basic anatomy guide above as an example). Hide them in your garden.
Ann Kirsten
WATERMELON PAINTING
You’ll need: paper and paint or markers. Paint a big slice of watermelon on your paper. Use your pinky finger dipped in black paint to make a line of three circles for the ant’s body. Add legs and antenna with a pen. Remember that ants love sweet foods and watermelon is sweet!
Ann Kirsten
ANT TUNNELS
You’ll need paper, a sponge, paint and glue. Crumple a piece of paper (we used brown packing paper). Lightly sponge brown paint onto the crumpled paper. Let it dry and rip it into pieces. Glue the pieces onto a plain piece of paper, leaving spaces for “tunnels”. Draw or paint ants in the tunnels. Add grass and flowers onto the top.
Ann Kirsten
EGG CARTON ANTS
You’ll need an egg carton, paint and brushes, a skewer or hole punch, wiggle eyes (you can use paint instead) and pipe cleaners. Cut three sections of an egg carton and paint it black. Let it dry. Glue on your eyes or paint them on. Poke holes and stick in pipe cleaner legs and antennas.
Ann Kirsten
ANTS ON A LOG
This has been a favorite snack for generations. You’ll need: celery sticks, peanut butter or cream cheese, raisins or chocolate chips. Spread your peanut butter or cream cheese onto a celery stick and sprinkle on raisins or chocolate chips. Yum!
Ann Kirsten
ANT EXPERIMENT
Put something sweet on the ground where you have seen ants. See how long it takes them to find it and how many of their friends show up.
ANTS IN YOUR PANTS
This will crack your kids up! Draw a simple pair of pants and add ants. Draw them, paint them or stamp them. Tell your kids that because ants are always moving, the saying, “ants in your pants” refers to wiggly people.
Ann Kirsten
ANT CUPCAKES
Bake or buy your favorite cupcakes. Frost them with green frosting. Use any round candies to make the ant bodies such as Whoppers, Junior Mints, or brown M&M’s. Use black licorice or chocolate jimmies to make the legs and antennas. Add candy eyes with a bit of frosting.
Ann Kirsten
To finish off your ant study, this stuffed ant on Amazon is so cute! Just do a search for “stuffed ant” and you will find it in lots of colors.
Or how about ant toothpicks? Your kids will love to fake out family members with these food-carrying picks (Amazon).
So, there you have it. An ant study for those lazy summer days. Isn’t it amazing how much we have to learn from the Bible? There is always something new to find in the pages.
“But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8
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