I thought I share my lesson plan for a series I’m doing where I’m teaching my daughters life science and also the wonder of God’s creation. This is for kids ages 4-5.
Purpose: Introduction to ants by noting that they live together.
Book(s) read:
Ruth Berman Ants pages pages 6-17. (Chapter 1: Thousands of Ants)
Trevor Terry and Margaret Linton The Life Cycle of an Ant pages 5-13.
Learning Objectives:
- Learn how ants are insects and what insects are
- Learn how ants live together and the types of ants in a colony
- Learn the vocabularies related to ants
- Reinforce the truth that God is Creator
Lessons
- Learn how ants are insects and what insects are
Tool 1: Ruth Berman Ants pages page 6-7
Tool 2: Questions
How many parts are there for insects’ body? Answer: 3.
How many legs do insects have? Answer: 6.
Are insects’ skeletons inside or cover outside their body? Answer: Outside (Exoseleton).
- Learn how ants live together and the types of ants in a colony
Tool 1: Ruth Berman Ants pages page 8-17 and Trevor Terry and Margaret Linton The Life Cycle of an Ant pages 5-13
Tool 2: Questions
What colors of ants do we see in the two books?
What kinds of ants live in a colony?
What kind of ants have wings? Answer: Queen and Male ants.
What are queen ants?
What are worker ants?
What are male ants?
How do you tell the differences between the queen and male? Answer: The first is bigger than the male.
What is the one job of the queen? Answer: Lay eggs.
What are the jobs of the worker ants? Answer: The workers does everything else. Each ant have specific role for as long as she lives: Nurses, taking care of the queen, building and fixing anthills, looking for food, fighting enemies, etc.
Tool 3: Point to the pictures in the two books
Point to a picture of an anthill.
Point to the picture of working ants.
Point to the picture of queen ants.
Point to the picture of male ants.
- Learn the vocabularies related to ants
(Note: Write down the vocabularies on a white board)
Insects: Creatures with three body parts, six legs, no skin, and skeleton that cover their outside body.
Anthill: The home of ants (from Ruth Berman Ants 11).
Colony: All the ants in one anthill (from Ruth Berman Ants 11).
- Final Drawing activity to reinforce lessons
Tool 1: Drawing
Have four blocks to draw in.
First block draw three worker ants.
Second block draw a queen ant.
Third block draw a male ant. (Note the differences in size between the previous two pictures)
Fourth block draw an anthill
Switch paper and see the similarities and differences in one another’s drawings.
Tool 2: Questions
How are these different kinds of ants different?
How do they need each other?
- Reinforce the truth that God is Creator
Tool 1: Bible
“Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:24-25)
In the context this is the sixth day of God’s creation.
Note that God created “creeping things” on the sixth day.
This of course would have included ants.
Tool 2: Questions
How do ants show the awe of God’s creation?
Review: Share what did you learn today.
Thanks. It’s always a pleasure to stop and focus on specifics of God’s creation.
I agree it definitely is a pleasure and a delight to see God’s creation and marvel at our Creator; I feel the joy and wonder of being like a kid again being at awe with creation when I teach my kids!
Yes, it’s a joy to see the world anew through the eyes of your children!
Reblogged this on Talmidimblogging.
Thanks for the reblog!
Yankee Whiskey Bravo 😁
I think when I was young, I found ants fascinating—we had an ant “house” in our classroom and could watch them as they dug tunnels, etc— then over time and exposure to fire ants and their race to take over first the south then next the world-being viscously bitten when out barefoot minding my own business, I have grown to detest them and their kin— so good for you Jim to offer a lesson— while they are still considered interesting— soon they will fall into the knowledge of their wicked plans to take over the planet 😉😜
Wow Julie you definitely have a way with words! You captured my sentiment of being at different time being amazed with ants and other times finding them absolutely abhorring. That is such a great description all in one sentence!
🐜
Hey Jim—I got a comment this morning in my moderation bucket—when I investigated it was someone telling me not to comment on your site—it was crude and crass while telling me that I should read real theology from the likes of Roger Olson, Jesus creed and Christianity today (I have not heard of Roger Olson or Jesus creed)….naturally it made me mad and I trashed it. I’m also writing about it in my post tomorrow but not naming yours as the targeted site of attack.
But I’m going to turn this righteous indignation I now feel into a post—and how dare this guy—his name is Jim Sarco or so that’s what the email notification I received listed and he had actually left the comment on my post from yesterday…so I just wanted to let you know….
Jim Sarco (not real name) is a troll who originally has something against someone else’s blog because that guy liked certain preachers Sarco doesn’t like but then Sarco started attacking all the people who ever commented on that blog which meant he eventually commented on our blog and now I suppose he’s attacking those who comment on this blog as well. He comments on things I don’t even attack or talk about so its a weird…it’s a weird disorder the guy has.
Ok, good—I am writing a post but leaving out all names—but I am quoting his comment and I have a few choice Godly words to say 😉
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