Homeschooling adVentures

This great Ant craft originated from an idea over at Activity Village. However I wanted to make it a little more realistic so added some extra features.

Supplies needed:

1 Dolly/Old Fashioned Clothes Pin/Peg

2 12″ Black Fuzzy Sticks / Pipe Cleaners

3 small cotton wool balls / 2 large cotton wool balls

Black Paint

Hot Glue Gun & Glue Stick

Due to the use of the Hot Glue Gun for this project please ensure your children/grandchildren are well supervised so that no burns occur.

1. Paint the peg black the day before you complete this project. (I actually painted the ones for the kids to make my life easier!)
2. Divide one Fuzzy Stick /Pipe Cleaner into 3 mini sticks, each 4″ long.
3. Slide up the inside of the peg & shape into legs, remembering the knee joints & feet. (An ants legs are all on its Thorax so ensure that the legs are pushed all the way up.)
4. Hot Glue in place.
5. Bend off a 4″ piece of Fuzzy Stick/ Pipe Cleaner from your second 12″ length. Bend it slightly in the middle & hot glue to top of ant’s head. These are the antennae.
6. For the Mandibles break off a 6″ piece of Fuzzy Stick / Pipe Cleaner, fold in center & then trip it over to make it thicker. Attach these with the hot glue to the underneath part of the ant’s head.
7. Unroll three small cotton wool balls.
8. Put hot glue on the rear end of the peg & wrap the first piece around. Apply glue to the now stuck on cotton wool ball & wrap the second piece around. Repeat for the third piece. Shape it as best you can to look an Ant’s Abdomen!
9. Paint the abdomen with black paint & allow to dry.

Ants have compound eyes, thousands of lenses so your older children may want to create some tiny eyes to add to the ant. Younger children are going to be just as impressed with their creation without eyes!

Happy crafting,

Liz

Pic Instruction 1:

Pic Instruction 2:

Pic Instruction 3-4:

Pic Instruction 5-6:

Pic Instruction 7:

Pic Instruction 8:

Share with others!

Facebook

Twitter

Pinterest