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This page was created to suggest ways that you can help enhance students' educational experience. Insect Antics: A Thematic Unit on Ants is designed to introduce students to the wonderful world of insects. While the focus of this unit is on ants, children should be encouraged to continue their insect explorations beyond the classroom.  There are many strategies that you can use to help your children in these endeavors:

• simply engaging your children in a dialogue about their activities in school can help children to reiterate, and retain some of the important concepts that they have been presented with in school.  Listening also goes a long way in helping children to feel valued. Let your children know that you appreciate the information that they are sharing and encourage them to show you what they have learned.
• encourage children to further their knowledge by asking your own questions. Within reason, try to guide your children's inquiries with your own. You might be surprised at what you'll learn!
• encourage children to find their own ANT-swers. Simply exposing them to the dictionary ( and perhaps showing them "ant" words) can improve their future researching skills and literacy.

In this unit children will be exposed to internet research skills which necessitate the use of a computer. These skills will help them to become better prepared for the future. While many households do not have a computer at their disposal, local public libraries have computers which can be used to help guide your children in their insect inquiries.  The student section of this unit contains a list of insect web sites that you can visit with your children. If you are unfamiliar with computers, or have never "surfed the web" before, now is a better time than ever. The following web sites offer information on how to use a computer to conduct a web search with your children.

• Hot List for Surfing the Web
• Thesite: Smart Surfing
• Safeties and Dangers of the Web
• HomeArt's Parents' Guide to the Internet

The demands of everyday life can sometimes make these learning activities very difficult to accomplish, but there are ways that you can incorporate your lifestyle with your child's learning style. The following web site offers strategies for dealing with the phenomena known as MORNING MADNESS. You can incorporate these strategies with the concepts your child is learning in the ant unit by using ant orderliness as a model for school preparation. You can further help your children understand the concepts of cooperation and community, by referring to them in your children's day to day interactions. In this unit the concepts of cooperation and community are addressed in the children's study of ants. In particular, they are asked to relate their study of ants to their own lives through stories and fables. You can help strengthen their understanding of the concepts in this unit by encouraging them to read other literature which reflect these ideas. Using Children's Literature to Strengthen Families  offers a number of good suggestions.
In addition, Helping Children Understand Other Cultures , and Comparing Communities, offer some very good advice on how you can help broaden your child's cultural awareness.
 

  In addition, you can play an instrumental role in nurturing your child's individual giftedness. Growing Mind's Web site on Multiple Intelligences discusses a theory which posits that there are many kinds of intelligence. It provides a number of strategies that you can use to help your children develop these intelligences.
 
 

GOOD LUCK TO EVERYONE AND THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

If you have any suggestions or questions regarding this unit please contact the author of this
unit.