| "COLORS OF LIFE" Space Age Habitat for Ants Description:
A Space-Age Habitat for Ants!
Ants live, work and tunnel in nutritious and non-toxic gel as they create series upon series of intricate tunnels. Easy to care for! Ants need NO food or water!
ANTWORKS is a space-age habitat for ants based upon a 2003 NASA Space Shuttle experiment to study ants in zero gravity. Students from Fowler High School in New York worked with Syracuse University and University of Colorado to develop a space habitat for ants and a food gel. Where ants usually survive on grass seeds and insect parts, the gel was made from a seaweed extract and full of amino acids, sugars, and fungicides.
COLORS OF LIFE provides the ANTWORKS habitat with clear gel and a detachable LED illuminator. A full spectrum light show shines up through the clear gel - You choose the color and change it whenever you like! Turn off the illuminator by touching and holding the sensor for 2 seconds.
ANTWORKS makes the perfect desktop pet or fascinating educational gift. COLORS OF LIFE adds even more of a delightful experience for visual kids. Use as a night light for science-loving kids!
Product Specifications:
Ages: 8+
Box Size: 8.6" x 8.5" x 3.6"
Box Weight: 2.3 lbs
Habitat Size: 6.5"L x 5.5"W x 1.25"D
Product Contents:
6.5"L x 5.5"W x 1.25"D acrylic habitat
Nutrient Gel
Magnifying Glass
Ant Catching Tool/ Tunnel Starter
Instruction Manual with Interesting Facts About Ants
Product Awards:
Learning Magazine, Teachers' Choice Award
Product Notes:
Ants ARE NOT included. Catch or purchase separately.
For international shipping purposes, COLORS OF LIFE includes "gel". The following countries do not allow gel to be imported:
Germany, United Kingdom (UK)
Product Warnings & Safety Information:
WARNING: CHOKING HAZARD - SMALL PARTS. This kit contains small pieces and is not suitable for children under 3 years of age.
CAUTION: ELECTRIC TOY. Not recommended for children under 8 years of age. As with all electrical products, precautions should be observed during handling and use to prevent electric shock.
A NOTE FROM LAURI:
More information on ordering ants. Our family used an ANTWORKS kit and we purchased harvester ants at the www.AntsAlive.com website for a cost of $4.95 (including shipping) in 2010. The website states they ship to both the USA and Canada. They do not ship to Canada in the winter, and sometimes delay shipments to some areas in the country during cold spells. They do not ship to Hawaii. Ants should arrive 3-10 days after ordering. Our harvester ants arrived healthy and lively! Although we didn't count the ants, the amount seemed appropriate for our ANTWORKS habitat. Harvester ants are larger than we have in our natural outdoors, and are easier to watch.
How long will the ants live in the habitat? Most ants have an expected lifespan of 30-45 days, so expect to replace ants if you want long-term fun. Ants survive longer with a queen, but please note that it is illegal to ship a queen ant in the USA because of concerns of taking ant colonies where they shouldn't be taken. If you want a queen ant, you will need to find a local one!
Yes, insects are animals. Many kids will ask whether insects are considered animals. This is a great question for further thinking and discussion with your curious kids. As you help guide their research, you will be happy to know that insects are animals! Insects are part of the animal kingdom (Kingdom Animalia), and a class under the Phylum Arthropoda. Harvester ants are also quite fun to research!
Relatively quick science kit to watch! The ants will begin to tunnel within 24-48 hours after arrival. Your kids will delight in watching the tunnels form throughout the ANTWORKS gel in a very short time.
Easy to care for! The kit states that no food or water is required - and that is very true! However, the ants do benefit from fresh air on a fairly regular basis, and will benefit from moisture added by placing a wet cottonball inside the habitat from time to time. Opening up the habitat for short time periods for additional air will liven up the ants! Try it once or twice a week. Your kids will need to show how clever they can be to open the habitat and ensure no ants escape. Harvester ants should not be touched, so your kids will need to think about how and when to open the habitat. (We haven't lost an ant yet, so it isn't difficult, but you need to be clever!) Softly blowing into the habitat, helping the air circulate into the tunnels, also makes for a lively time!
Habitat is a convenient size for home or classroom. The ant habitat needs to be placed in a cooler area, out of direct sunlight. Because of the size of the ANTWORKS habitat, it can be placed in numerous places, and easily moved around. The COLORS OF LIFE illuminator will need to be close to an outlet.
Habitat ready for regular re-use. If kids tire of the ant habitat, you can "release" the ants, and re-use the habitat at a later time with fresh, new ants. Since the gel is very long lasting, you can re-use the gel. Or, you can replace the gel so a new classroom can watch from the beginning how ants form tunnels! |
