Check out these 8 best summer unit studies for kindergarten. Also, grab my other tips, ideas, and crafts for kindergarten on my page Kindergarten Homeschool Curriculum. And other ideas on my page Best Homeschool Unit Studies.
Too, I have a free ant study with tons of great resources and a step-by-step tutorial to create your own ant model.
With a quick trip to Dollar Tree, you can get everything you need to make this detailed and display worthy ant model.
All the while you teach your child all about ant anatomy.
These tiny little powerhouses are fascinating.
Ants are one of the world’s strongest creatures in relation to its size.
One ant can carry up to 50 times its body weight.
They are classified as insects as they are invertebrates with jointed legs and hard outer coverings called exoskeletons.
They have three main body parts: a head, thorax, and abdomen.
And most adult insects have six legs and one or two pairs of wings, as well as antennae.
You will enjoy this ant study as much as your child.
And if you work in a few books, videos, and fun hands-on activities you have everything you need for a knowledge hungry kindergartener to learn all about ants.
Summer is full of beach trips, flowers, backyard birds, ice cream, gardening, and more.
This is a great time to dive deep into those topics with fun unique studies on each one.
Here are enough ideas to get you through the summer with a couple weeks free or to continue a longer study.
Books About Ants for Kids
First, look at these books about ants.
I prefer living books when I can find them, then like to add reference books so all ages can be included in your study.
9 Ant Books & Resources For Kids
Add some of these fun books about ants to your home library.
Did you ever wonder where an ant goes when it disappears into an anthill? Underneath the hill, there are miles of tunnels and hundreds of rooms!
In this Outstanding Science Trade Books for Children (NSTA/CBC), Arthur Dorros uses simple, easy-to-understand words and colorful illustrations to guide early readers on the life of a harvester ant—and even shows readers how to build their own ant farms.
This is a clear and appealing science book for early elementary age kids, both at home and in the classroom. It's a Level 2 Let's-Read-and-Find-Out, which means the book explores more challenging concepts for children in the primary grades. The 100+ titles in this leading nonfiction series are:
Not mighty in size, but mighty in resourcefulness and industry, the ant has crawled the earth since prehistoric times. It has dwelt in rainforest tree trunks and acorns of oak trees, beneath logs, and under sidewalks. It has protected forests by capturing insects, cleared weeds away from acacia trees, and by growing gardens has released important nutrients into the soil. Seed lifters, dirt diggers, social beings, ants have the most advanced brain of all insects! So watch where you step, especially on a warm day: a small but mighty ant may be underfoot.
Exactly as the title implies. A description of the daily routine of an ant's life cycle.
Please note that this book is not for toddlers. It is better for children ages 8 and up.This engaging and informative book introduces kids to the world of ants.This fun book is packed with cool facts, illustrations, and pictures of ants.It's perfect for inspiring kids to learn more about these amazing creatures. Whether it's a science fair project, a report, or for pure enjoyment, this book is a great source of information for the ant enthusiast.
- Educational Journey: The Life Cycle of an Ant Set takes children on an enlightening journey from the tiny white eggs to the industrious adult ants. The set includes figurines depicting four stages: egg, larvae, pupae, and adult ant.
- Realistic Representation: The set accurately mirrors the development stages and colors of ants, making it a powerful educational tool that blends learning and play.
Ants are scurrying, social creatures with unique abilities to carry huge loads, work as a team, and fiercely protect their colony. This book gives you a microscopic look into the hidden world of ants, answering all your big questions about our small, hardworking neighbors. Learn fun facts about flat headed Turtle Ants, wide-eyed Gigantiops, and many more. Explore colorful photos and cool profiles on how big each ant is, what they eat, where they're found, and more!
Down beneath the ground they are herded, to the city under the back steps and the complex world of the ant colony. Here where the haughty Queen rules with an iron hand, each of her subjects has a vital role to perform, and Jill and Craig are put to work. But no sooner had they become involved in the daily routine of the colony when an army of red ants sweeps down, threatening the destruction of the city and its
inhabitants, including Jill and Craig!
Evelyn Sibley Lampman's exciting fantasy, sure to ignite an interest in nature, accurately explores the fascinating hierarchy of the ant world.
Avon the snail has never had an adventure. And adventure, he has heard, is the key to a happy life. So with his new friend Edward the ant, Avon sets out on a journey to find the excitement his life has been missing.This modern fable is filled with funny--and profound--insights about the meaning of things . . . great and small.
A clear, simple text and full-color, richly detailed artwork journey inside an ant colony to provide a close-up look at the lives, behavior, and life cycle of this fascinating insect.
Too, if you’re planning your unit studies for the year, look at these 8 unit studies for kindergarten.
8 Best Summer Unit Studies For Kindergarten
- Grab this idea for an ocean or shark unit to build language art skills-Shark and Oceans for Kindergarten Fun Sight Word Activity.
- Summer is the best time for a Kids Dandelion Flower Unit Study and Easy Tea Recipe & Notebooking Pages with the bright yellow flowers and puffs of seeds just about everywhere you look.
- Pond Life for Kindergarten Activity Build a Fun Beaver Dam
- Get outside and enjoy a Free Bird Unit Study and Lapbook And Fun Edible Bird Nests as you observe feathered friends in your own yard.
- Free Homeschool Chicken Unit Study and Anatomy of an Egg Felt Activity & Worksheet
- Delicious, this Ice Cream Unit Study is a tasty way to learn about a summer time favorite with a wide variety of hands on ideas.
- Learn How to Plan And Start an Easy Gardening Unit Study for Kids, this is easily adaptable for all ages and makes a good family unit.
- This Free Butterfly Unit Study For Kids and Fun Sponge Stamping is full of great ideas.
MORE KINDERGARTEN HOMESCHOOL CURRICULUM ACTIVITIES
- How to Create the Perfect Kindergarten Homeschool Set Up
- Best Kindergarten Health Curriculum Easy Ideas For Activities
- 8 Best Summer Unit Studies For Kindergarten | Free Ant Study
- 10 Kindergarten Sensory Bin Ideas | How To Make A Summer Sensory Bin
- How to Create a Kindergarten Math Game With Popsicle Sticks
- 8 Stellaluna Kindergarten Activities | How To Make A Coffee Filter Bat Craft
- First Day Of Kindergarten Homeschool Ideas | Free Scavenger Hunt Cards
- Math Made Easy: Engaging Addition For Kindergarten Dice Activities
- T Is For Simple Fun Thunderstorm Activities For Kindergarten
- Fun and Easy Tissue Paper Crafts for Kindergarten
- Fun Kindergarten History Activities: How to Create Royal Peg Dolls
- Enhance Your Language Arts Kindergarten Curriculum with Free Flip Books
Pack up your picnic and let’s get into this amazing ant study with tasty treats, some great books, and videos.
Free Ant Unit Study
Look at these ideas for a fun unit study about ants.
Hands-on Ideas About Ants
- Make Ants on a Log for a tasty themed snack your kid will love!
Ant Math Learning Ideas
- Use plastic ants for manipulatives to count, add, and subtract.
- Check out these Busy Ants Clip Counting Cards for an activity that builds math and fine motor skills at the same time.
Science Learning Ideas
- Today, you’ll be making a simple ant model. It is a wonderful hands-on way to teach your child about ants anatomy. You can use it to talk about the head, thorax, and abdomen, its 6 legs, and of course antennas and what they are used for.
- Watch Learn All About Ants: Ant Facts For Kids to find out more about these tiny pests that crash picnics and pack a sting.
- Use a glass jar and make an ant farm.
- Learn all about the ants life cycle with this cute little set that lets them see firsthand (without the bites).
Also, write these ant parts down for your child to have them match to what is the function of the body part.
- Eyes
- Hairs
- Antennae
- Legs
- Mandibles
- Eyes sense motion.
- Hairs to sense its environment.
- Antennae helps to taste, smell and feel.
- Legs clean the antennae.
- Mandibles to grasp, cut and dig.
Language Arts Learning Ideas
- Practice writing the word Ant with this fun worksheet.
- Have your child explain what is a life cycle and learn the life cycle. For example, egg, larva, pupa and adult.
- Too, explain there are many kind of ants. There are leafcutter ants which are like farmers, army ants which are hunters and dairying ants with are herders.
In addition, you can use these words to help your child appreciate what are ants and how they help our environment.
- insects – air-breathing invertebrates with three body segments, two antennae, three pairs of legs, and normally two sets of wings
- larvae – wingless, immature form of many insects before developing into pupae
- invertebrate – lacking a backbone or spinal column
- nectar – sweet liquid that flowering plants produce to attract insects and birds
Also read The Life and Times of the Ant and a silly book they’ll love The End of the Beginning: Being the Adventures of a Small Snail (and an Even Smaller Ant).
Additionally, if you want to include your older children with unit study or expand it for a very inquisitive learner, look at these other topics.
- Illustrate an ant colony
- Describe how they reproduce
- Delve into learning how they produce ant colonies
- How do they find and manage their food supply
How to Make a Simple Ant Model With Kids
You will need:
- 3 small styrofoam balls
- Black paint
- 2 black beads
- 3 Pipe cleaners
- Hot glue gun/sticks
First, cut two pipe cleaners into 3 pieces each for the legs. Cut two more for antennae.
Paint three small styrofoam balls black all over and allow them to dry.
I did not have any black pipe cleaners on hand so rather than run out and buy them I just covered them in a coat of black paint all over them.
Allow them to dry alongside the styrofoam.
Once everything is completely dry you can begin assembling your ant.
Start by pressing the six legs into the thorax (center segment) of the ant.
Next press two black beads into either side of the next ball for a head to make the eyes and add two black pipe cleaner pieces to create antennae.
Finally use a hot glue gun to connect the three segments together, use care not to touch the hot end of the glue gun into the foam or it will melt it.
Bend the legs into shape.
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