Author: John Richards

Ant farms should, in my humble opinion, be mandatory for all small kids. What am I talking about? Well, research shows that children who’ve had the experience of being responsible for a pet grow up to be more responsible adults too. Hardly surprising but think about it. If we had more responsible parents out there, there would be fewer kids out on the streets causing all sorts of trouble after dark. OK I know I’m on my soap box but this stuff is important. Anyway, this article quickly runs through the main Orders (or groups) of insects to determine which are the most suitable for children to have as pets.

The main insect pet groups look like this:

Ants (Order Hymenoptera) Ants make great pets You can buy an ant farm for under $20 Very little maintenance is required They eat virtually nothing yet are active all the time and perform remarkable feats of tunnelling. They are great to watch.

Stick insects and leaf insects (Order Phasmidae) – these are great when newly hatched – they run around all over the place. But as they get bigger there level of activity drops off and they begin to loook more like their namesakes – sticks. As the insects become more and more stationary for longer and longer periods, a child’s interest is likely to tail off, quite understandably. Need fresh plant food regularly.

Crickets (Order Orthoptera) Now these guys can make very good pets for kids. The many different species vary considerably in their appearance and show quite a bit of sexual dimorphism (that is, the males and females look different) They can be quite active, particularly at warmer temperatures and some will sing, given the right encouragement. Need fresh plant food regularly.

Bees (Order Hymenoptera) Definitely adults only. Bees are fascinating to keep, and can earn you a little money, but require a good deal of equipment, and care.

Cockroaches (Order Blattodea) A lot of parents have an understandable aversion to cockroachesbut, provided they are housed and looked after properly caged then they are the same as any other insect. Everyone knows how active cokroaches can be, but they do have the alarming habit of eating each other of food gets short. Kids might find this difficult to take. Will eat pretty much anything. Hissing cockroaches are extremely striking insects.

Millipedes (Order Myriapoda) Interesting to watch but can spend long periods in an inactive coil, which is pretty boring for children. Prefer warmer temperatures. Eat detritus. Giant millipedes can be up to 12? long and as thick as your finger so you will need a large tank or terrarium.

So, there are clearly many options open to you when choosing an insect for a pet. Although I find all insects interesting, I think, for children, ants in an ant farm is likely to offer the best chance of success. The ant farms themselves are cheap, and there are many types to choose from. The ants are usually active and will capture a child?s interest and running costs are virtually nothing.

Make Your Children Become Responsible by Gifting Them an Ant Farm

Author: Sanjou Gokhool

Parents often want their children to become responsible when they become adults. The process of making children turn into responsible persons for the future starts right at the tender age. Parents must therefore help their children in every way possible when they are still young to get them used to taking responsibilities. A great way for parents to achieve this is to buy an ant farm as pet for their children.

Children could profit from an ant farm in various ways. However, parents must first of all know exactly what ant farms are. Ant farms have been designed to increase the sense of responsibility in children. Originally ant farms consisted of two pieces of glass and soil or dirt in between for the ants to circulate. Nowadays, ant farms are bigger with more definite objects for the ants to move, such as tunnels. The environment for ants to live is as well recreated in the ant farm. Many types of ant farms exist, some of which are very popular. The ones which you need to assemble by yourself are the most popular in the market. While this may not seem to be great idea, it can really help children by increasing their sense of responsibility.

In an initial step, your children will take part and help you to assemble the ant farm. Ant farms normally come with a manual to guide you through the assembly and maintenance procedures. Like many other products, many brands of ant farms are available which you might effectively choose for your children. Each may offer different features which, after looking at, you might deem would be suitable for your children. A great thing about ant farms designed for children is that they are three dimensional. This will ensure that your children would be able to witness how ants live. Your children will sit quietly in front of their ant farm and look at how the ants make their way through the various tunnels.

This is, as a matter of fact, one of the most peaceful gifts that you can give your children. Your children will learn how to be responsible as they will have to give the ants food and water regularly. Once your children are used to their ant farm, you will notice that they will look after their pet without having to remind them to do so. As said earlier, ant farms come with a guide. The guide will let you know how many times per day the ants have to be fed and watered. With this information, you may then effectively guide your children about the most appropriate way to look after their pet.

The guide can sometimes be so comprehensive that children can mount the farm by themselves. The ant farm can really be a source of entertainment for your children. You will not have to worry about your children being naughty as every time you see them, they would most probably be in front of their ant farm watching their ants and feeding them when necessary.

About the Author:

Sanjou is the writer for http://www.workingwithchildrentoday.co.uk/, a website dealing with children and young people

Article Source: ArticlesBase.com – Make Your Children Become Responsible by Gifting Them an Ant Farm