Fire Ant Farm

Having and ant farm is a great educational experience for children. You and your child can now build one of your own.

Step 1: Ant Farm Base

     What concerns parents the most about owning an ant farm is the fact that if it breaks the ants are free within the household. To minimize the risk we are going to create a base fore our farm.

Tools:                                                                                                                   Supplies:

     Pencil                                                                                                                    Hard cardboard (I used 1/8 of an inch think)
     Razor                                                                                                                    Glass olive jar with lid about 2 inches in diameter
     Straight edge or Ruler                                                                                     
     Measuring tape (you will not need this if you are using a ruler)             
     Masking tape

Cut the cardboard into the following pieces (use the straight edge to guide the razor):

Quantity:                Size in inches:

     2                                3" x 3"
     2                                1" x 3"
     2                              1" x 2-3/4"


     Take one of the 3" x 3" pieces and tape the edges with masking tape. Using the jar and pencil to draw a circle. Cut out the circle with the razor. The tape will help keep the edges firm while you cut.

     Next we are going to make the walls of the base. Take the 1" x 3" pieces and tape them onto the 3'"x 3" with the hole cut out, place them opposite from each other. Take the two 1" x 2-3/4" and tape them in between the side to create the other two walls. After this, take the the second 3" x 3" piece and tape it at the bottom to create a box. The hole is the top part of the base.

     After the base is completed you may decorate it to fit your taste or have your kids do it. Do not place anything inside the base or the jar may not fit.