Sitting down to write this blog post, I thought of a story that I have not thought of in many, many years. One of those childhood happenings that lay dormant for years and then suddenly spring into your head. I think it is actually a pretty entertaining story to think about, so I hope you will enjoy it.
But first, I have a confession to make: I really don’t like chocolate that much. Especially solid chocolate eggs or Hersey’s kisses or giant rabbits. (I know this seemingly has nothing to do with ants, but stick with me. I promise I will bring it around.) For some reason, my parents who really do love me, would give me lots of solid chocolate candy for Easter. I would dip some of it in peanut butter (the true highest purpose chocolate can aspire to is to be combined with peanut butter), but I would always have so. much. chocolate. left.
So, the idea of ant picnics was born. Sometime in the middle or end of April each year, once the weather started to be warmer and the insects started stirring, my friend Heather and I would bag up our extra Easter candy and go wandering outside. We kept our eyes on the ground and would gift our leftover candy to all the ants that were busy rebuilding their ant hills each spring. We would leave chunks of chocolate or small candies by each ant colony opening in the fields surrounding our houses.
As an adult, I am not positive that it was ants that ate all that candy, but I am certain that we did feed at least a few. I’m sure my parents were sad that I didn’t just give them the extra chocolate and black jelly beans, but I felt it was my personal mission to feed all the ants after their long winter without new food.
I am actually a really big fan of the craft this week – these Plastic Spoon Ants are so cute, and so easy to make! The hardest part is coloring the white plastic spoons with a Sharpie – you could also use black paint, but then you would need to let it dry before moving on. That might actually be an amazing time for a round of my Guess Which Ant game – loaded with words that start with the Short A sound, it is the perfect game for articulation or phonics practice. And, of course, it is on sale for just $1 for the next 28 days. 🙂
Supply List
- 2 plastic spoons
- Sharpie marker or black paint
- Paint brush, water cup, apron, and table covering if using paint
- 4 black pipe cleaners
- 2 google eyes
- Hot glue gun (you could use tape and glue instead of a hot glue gun if you wanted)
Step-by-Step Directions
The first thing you need to do for this craft is color or paint the spoons black. You don’t have to do both sides, just the back of each spoon.
Next you need to glue or tape the spoons together. Please be careful if you use a hot glue gun – I have definitely burned my fingers a few times…
Add your google eyes to one of the spoon heads.
Next we need to use the pipe cleaners to make the legs. I start by lining up the pipe cleaner so that it is leg length (I make mine about 4 inches long), then I wrap it around the spoons until the other end is about the same length. Lastly, I twist them together and then bend them into leg shape. Repeat for all 3 sets of legs.
Our last step is to add the antennas to the ant. Again, line your pipe cleaner up so that you have 3 or so inches on one side. Wrap the other side around until it is about the same length and twist the ends together. Shape them into whatever shape you like for ant antennas.
As I have said each week, my goal with this blog is to make sure that people leave each of my posts feeling equipped to practice articulation or phonics with their learner. So, I always have a game from my Teachers Pay Teachers store (Autumn Emigh Creative Communication Solutions) on special sale for you. This week’s game is one of my favorite types of games to play with my students. Guess Which Ant has 8 ants that have 8 Short A Sound items. You can play this with your family over an over and I feel like it is still fun for everyone. The chooser picks an Ant and then the guessers ask yes/no questions to try to guess which ant was chosen. Very motivating for kids and perfect to fill little bits of time, you will turn to this game over and over. You receive a link to a Google Slide version as well as a color game board and a black and white homework version. On sale for half off (just $1) until May 10th!
Just click on the photo above or HERE to get your copy today! And be sure to fill out the form below to get on my email list. Not only are my email subscribers the first to know when each of my blog posts goes live, they also get information about products, events, and summits each week. I’ll always do my best to make it worthwhile for you to stick around, but it is super easy to unsubscribe if you ever wish to. 🙂
Thanks friends! I hope your weather is warming up and you are starting to see signs of spring. I can’t wait to catch up with you next week with an amazing Earth Day craft and game to target the ER sound.
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