Ants: a hundred times smaller
MICRO·MACRO · Kit 2 · Formigues
Now the other way round: the Scalimeter has made the team a hundred times smaller. The garden becomes a jungle and the second lens is hidden inside the anthill.
Illustrative imageThe story
«Now the other way round! The Scalimeter has made you a hundred times smaller.» The team is now the size of an ant, and the garden has become a jungle of grass, flowers and pebbles.
The second lens is inside the anthill. To get there, the explorers will have to think like ants: follow a scent trail, carry food as a team, help a flower and survive a shower of giant drops. At the end the anthill opens, they go down to the queen's chamber and the lens is waiting there.
Watch out for the bird
At a random moment a giant bird flies over the garden and the explorers have to hide under a flower. It is not a test, it is part of the life of a small creature.
Kits 1 to 5 of the collection form a story: the five lenses of Doctor Mida's Scalimeter.
Phases of the kit
The trail
Whoever wears the ANTENNAE can see the pheromone trail. That player has to guide the rest to the right anthill: there are five identical mounds.
Carrying food
Each ant weighs 3 milligrams and can lift twenty times its weight: 60 mg. How many ants does each crumb need? Players carry ants in their hands, or touch them so that they follow in line. Using exactly the right number earns efficiency stars.
Pollination
A closed flower blocks the way. It only opens with pollen from the same species, and color is not enough: the shape of the petals and leaves gives it away. The bee shows the way, and the flower turns into a fruit.
The rain
Giant drops fall and their shadows show where. The team holds big leaves over their heads (two people cover more) and must stay sheltered most of the time.
The queen's chamber
The anthill opens, the team goes down to meet the queen and the crumbs they brought, and picks up the second lens.
Short version (9 min): without the bird and without the rain. Easy level: the crumb labels show the division by 60. Hard level: the weights are not exact multiples and the team has to round up.
What students learn
- Scale and proportion: what the world looks like a hundred times smaller.
- How ants communicate (pheromones) and how strong they are compared to their weight.
- Multiplication and division in context (how many ants of 60 mg for each crumb) and, on the hard level, rounding up.
- Pollination and the idea of species: same species, not just same color.
- Guiding others with words: only the player with antennae sees the trail.
Curriculum fit
Designed for ages 8 to 12, in natural science (living things, insects, plants and pollination) and math (multiplication, division and proportion). The three levels adapt the calculations. We do not assign official curriculum codes here.
What a session looks like
- ~5 min
Calibration
Each player calibrates; the facilitator chooses the level and version on the PC.
- ~1 min
Doctor Mida
The Scalimeter, the size change and where the second lens is.
- 9–15 min
The kit
Trail, food, pollination and, in the full version, the bird and the rain.
- ~3 min
Summary
Efficiency stars, how many soakings and the time.
Teacher's guide
Before
Talk about how ants find their way and what a flower needs to become a fruit.
During
Listen to how the player with antennae guides the others: it is a good exercise in precise language.
After
Calculate how much each student could lift with ant strength (twenty times their weight), or observe real flowers and classify them by the shape of their petals and leaves.
Frequently asked questions
What age is the Ants kit for?
For ages 8 to 12, with easy, normal and hard levels.
How long does it last?
About 15 minutes; the short version, without the bird and the rain, about 9.
Is it the same as the Giants kit?
No. It is the second lens of the same story, but the mechanics are different: here the team is a hundred times smaller.
Want to try the Ants kit with your group?
We run demos for school leadership teams, education authorities, VR centers and distributors.