ACTIVITY SHEET SCIENCE BEHIND BEHIND ANT PICNIC Ants are opportunistic feeders, which means they will eat just about anything. When looking for food, ants are going to seek out the most dense sources of energy that they can easily carry back to the colony. These things usually include proteins; such as meats, cheese or milk, and carbohydrates; such as crackers, cooked rice or cooked pasta. All of these foods are rich sources of much needed fuel for them and a little bit can go a long way, which is so important when they have thousands of colony members to feed.
KEY TERMS • Carbohydrate - foods that are starchy or sugary that can easily be broken down by the body into simple sugars. • Colony - a community of one kind of animal living close together. • Dense - closely compacted in substance. • Opportunistic - taking advantage of opportunities that arise. • Protein - a major nutrient for the body due to the energy (calories) they provide.
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ACTIVITY SHEET MAKE YOUR OWN ANT PICNIC WHAT IS A CITIZEN SCIENTIST? Ordinary people who use science to address local and global problems. They are citizens who work with scientist to collect data from projects taking place around the world.
SUPPLIES • • • • • • • • • • •
STEPS
Slice of apple Cracker Spoon full of jelly Water Olive oil Salt 3 - Cotton balls Paper plate Plastic spoon MODS printable Pen
1. Divide a paper plate into 6 sections. Label a section water, saltwater, olive oil, apple, jelly and cracker. 2. Dip one cotton ball in water and place in section. 3. Dip one cotton ball in olive oil and place in section. 4. Dip cotton ball in water, add salt and place in section. 5. Place cracker, jelly and apple slice in sections. 6. Predict which food will attract the most ants on your printable. 7. Leave your plate outside on the ground for 1 hour. 8. Count ants in each section and record on your printable.
EXPLORATION Conduct your own experiment to see what kind of foods ants are attracted to. 401 SW Second Street • Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 • 954.467.6637
ACTIVITY SHEET WHAT DO ANTS LIKE TO EAT BEST? KEY TERMS • Prediction - a guess of what will happen, also called hypothesis. • Results - what actually happened when you tried the experiment.
RESULTS
PREDICTION What will the ants choose? (Circle your prediction below.) • • • • • •
Water Saltwater Jelly Olive Oil Cracker Apple
Count and write how many ants in each section: Water: _______________________________________ Saltwater: ____________________________________ Jelly: _________________________________________ Olive Oil: ____________________________________ Cracker: _____________________________________ Apple: _______________________________________
EXPLORATION I wonder why the ants liked these foods best. What do you think made them choose certain foods? Was there something in common that would make some tastier than others? 401 SW Second Street • Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 • 954.467.6637