Entomology -- For the Young Scientist

If all mankind were to disappear, the world would regenerate back to the rich state of equilibrium that existed ten thousand years ago. If insects were to vanish, the environment would collapse into chaos.

E. O. Wilson

When he was four, my youngest wanted to be a Paleontologist -- most especially after he visited the T-Rex museum in Tucson, AZ.

 (It has moved to a new location. You can find information about it here: http://www.trexmuseum.org/ ) Curiously, though, as he got bigger, his ambitions scaled down. From dreaming of being a scientist who studied the largest creatures to ever roam the Earth, he has now, at 10, turned his interest to some of the smallest, bugs.  His current focus is on Ants. He loves ants. In his words, "If man weren't around, Ants would've been the great civilization builders! They have slaves, cities, and farms. They even wage war." 

Entomology is his current passion -- he lectures anyone willing to listen on the subject and, as I have learned (sometimes painfully) through my years homeschooling this child, it is best to facilitate his explorations rather than to try an force my own expectations upon him. He is very much interested in being 'the one in charge' and when allowed to lead the way in his own education, will explore a subject to death. With that in mind, I have done some 'exploring' on my own and compiled a collection of resources for him to investigate as a 'starting point'. (He has already hit up the library staff at our local library for help. Laugh. They know him well and are wonderful in their willingness to help.) Just in case there is anyone out there with children who are equally fascinated in the little creatures of the world, I thought I would share this collection of resources.

Books:

(Most of these are for older readers but there are a few, like the Magic School Bus book, for the younger set. There are also a few books in here that are included purely for fun.)

Kingdom of Ants: José Celestino Mutis and the Dawn of Natural History in the New World

by Edward O. Wilson and José M. Gómez Durán

Letters to a Young Scientist 

by Edward O. Wilson

National Geographic Readers: Ants

by Melissa Stewart

The Fascinating World of Ants

by Angels Julivert and Marcel Socias Studios

Journey to the Ants: A Story of Scientific Exploration
by Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson

The Leafcutter Ants: Civilization by Instinct

by Bert Hölldobler and Edward O. Wilson

Ants At Work: How An Insect Society Is Organize 
by Deborah Gordon

Time For Kids: Ants! (Time for Kids Science Scoops)

Jul 26, 2005

by Editors of TIME For Kids

Adventures among Ants: A Global Safari with a Cast of Trillion
by Mark W. Moffett

Prisoner of the Ant People (Choose Your Own Adventure #10)

by R. A. Montgomery (purely for fun!)

Gets Ants in It's Pants : A Book about Ants (Magic School Bus)
by Joanna Cole and John Speirs

Evil Queen Tut and the Great Ant Pyramids (The Zack Files, No. 16)

by Dan Greenburg and Jack E. Davis (Again, Purely for fun)

Bees, Wasps, and Ants: The Indispensable Role of Hymenoptera in Gardens

by Eric Grissell

Web Links:

http://insected.arizona.edu/lessons.htm

http://animaldiversity.org/site/accounts/information/Formicidae.html

http://www.greatschools.org/students/activities/1535-learning-about-ants.gs

http://www.classbrain.com/artmovies/publish/article_20.shtml

All about Ants: http://sites.infowest.com/life/

http://www.insects.org/

http://www.pestworldforkids.org/pest-guide/ants/

Life Cycle of an Ant Colony: http://askabiologist.asu.edu/ant-colony-life-cycle

AntArk: http://antark.net/ant-life/ant-life-cycle/

Ant Lesson Plans: http://www.lessoncorner.com/Science/Zoology/Arthropods/Insects/Ants

BUGS! (K-5): http://www.dickblick.com/lessonplans/bugs/

Lesson Plans by age: http://iitc.tamu.edu/lesson_plans.html

What Foods... (5-7): https://www.teachervision.com/biology/lesson-plan/63833.html

Red Imported Fire Ants: http://www.cfaitc.org/lessonplans/?details=RIFA

Food for an ant: http://www.themeunits.com/food_fit_for_an_ant.pdf

Games:

http://www.freeonlinegames.com/game/ants-colonies

http://www.freeworldgroup.com/games4/gameindex/ants.htm

http://www.antzzz.org/

Videos:

World's Largest Ant Colony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FLHAdwxLD-I

Inside the Colony: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n0SkIGARuo

Ant Colony Raids another: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5YaihAtnC4

Lord of the Ants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKbj3ZDmvdU

Amazing Facts about Ants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b8sl8AE418o

Malaysian Exploding Ants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nfM5YkQ2WsU

Weaver Ants build Bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4uv27nSaH4

Magic School Bus: Ants in Pants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHR55UanM_o

AntCanada (Source for Ant Colonies): http://antscanada.com/ant-videos

TED talk on Ants: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUu1kXT7tXE

If You Keep an Ant Farm:

http://www.nationaljewish.org/getattachment/professionals/education/academic-training/summer-research-science-educators/lesson-plans/pdf-SuRP-Ant-Colony-Lesson-Plan.pdf.aspx