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PIPE CLEANER ANT Activity

Ants have very distinct parts that can be helpful when trying to identify a certain species. While all insects consist of three body parts (head, thorax, abdomen) and have six legs, ants can be distinguished from all other insects by the presence of a specific structure between thorax and abdomen and by the shape of their antennae. These and other structures vary among ant species and help identify taxonomic groups like subfamilies, families, genera and species.

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In this activity, students learn the names and locations of all body parts of an ant by creating a model out of pipe cleaners (or chenille sticks). They first construct each body part following an instructional video and then they use an ant diagram to assemble each part by themselves.

About this activity

  • Instructional video
  • Student activity sheet “Antsy Anatomy”
  • Ant Anatomy Infographic
  • Pipe cleaners (or chenille sticks) – about 25 per ant model
  • Scissors
  • Paper (one 8.5 x 11 inch sheet per ant model)
  • Painter’s Tape

Directions

  1. Pass out student activity sheets
  2. Show ant anatomy infographic and let students fill out activity sheet
  3. Project video or let students view video on their own device, if available

Instructional video covers construction of:

  • Head – 1 pipe cleaner for frame, several to wrap it for shape
  • Eyes – 1 pipe cleaner (1/2 pipe cleaner per eye)
  • Two antennae – 1 pipe cleaner (1/2 pipe cleaner per antenna)
  • Thorax/Mesosoma – 1 pipe cleaner for frame, several to wrap it for shape
  • Six legs – 6 pipe cleaners (one for each leg)
  • Abdomen/Gaster – 1 pipe cleaner for frame, several to wrap it for shape
  • Instruct students to assemble body parts using their labeled worksheet
  • Depending on the size of the model ant, the number of pipe cleaners/chenille sticks needed may vary.
  • The student activity sheet “Antsy Anatomy” is available in 2 sizes: half-sheet or whole sheet (landscape).
  • You can project or print the Ant Anatomy infographic or let students view it on their own device.
  • If you are interested in making a model of a certain species, look at the dichotomous key (available here), YourSpiritAnt.com or AntWeb.org (How to navigate AntWeb) for an even greater selection. You can adjust color, size, number of petiole nodes, and overall shape of your model ant to fit your selected species.

Helpful hints

Here’s what you’ll need

This activity was developed by Dr. Daniela Magdalena Sorger (post-doctoral scholar at North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences) and Paige Derouin (7th/8th grade science teacher at Wake Young Men’s Leadership Academy in Wake County) as part of the Students Discover Project (studentsdiscover.org).

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Name: _____________________________

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Antsy Anatomy

Label the ant parts in the image below!

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Name: _____________________________

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Antsy Anatomy

Label the ant parts in the image below!

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Antsy Anatomy

Label the ant parts in the image below!

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Name: _____________________________

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