List Price : $19.99 Price : $13.88
Product Description
Some people buy Uncle Milton's ant farms out of nostalgia, having been ant farmers themselves as kids. Others are charmed by the odd perspective created as the ants build outsize tunnels beneath a replica of a bucolic little farm. But if you're buying this toy on the pretense that it is, as the guidebook says, "a lesson in nature study," beware. The box says you'll see ants dig tunnels, erect bridges, and plan and construct highways and subways. What they dig are tunnels that connect what might loosely be called "chambers." And that's about it. Without a queen, new births, real food to gather, foraging trips, or other ant colonies to tangle with, what you'll purchase are ants that perform in a behavior-stunting environment. You may feel that all this is of no concern so long as the farm provides a slice of childhood wonder. But if you're uneasy with the ant world you set into motion, and Uncle Milton's green farm begins to look surreal instead of jolly, the feeling may pass from you to your kids. --Jeannine Prince has a Master's in Education. She has worked as both a teacher and a curriculum coordinator in a constructivist learning and problem solving program for ages birth to 5 years. This all-time favorite Ant Farm® kit includes an un-breakable 10"x15" plastic see-through case, green frame and stand, sand and certificate for live shipment of ants- takes about two weeks for shipment to arrive via mail. -- Sorry, ants can not be shipped to Hawaii or Tennessee.
- Ant habitat (15" wide x 10" high)
- Year supply of ant food - all the vitamins, minerals and protein busy ants need
- Illustrated Ant Watcher's Manual
- Order form to receive live ants by mail*
- Break-resistant and Escape Proof
Uncle Milton Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm Reviews
Uncle Milton Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm Reviews
| 202 of 208 people found the following review helpful  Pretty cool for us Big Kids, By = Durability:  = Fun: = Educational: Amazon Verified Purchase This review is from: Uncle Milton Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm (Toy) I have my Ant Farm at work (Ironically, I work for Amazon.com), much to horror of some of my office mates. It makes a good discussion piece and its a great way to meet people in the office.Setting up the ant farm is a no brainer. Make sure to get the sand in the display case, put in the starter water when the ants show up (Mine took about 3 weeks, and 100% were alive), and drop in the ants. Below are my ant tips. 1) Make sure you stuff the plugs of cotton down into the sand as stated in the instructions. This creates the starter holes for the ants to start digging. Since the cotton plugs are evenly spaced, you will get nice ant tunnels throughout the farm. 2) You must have the ants in a tightly regulated temperature enviroment. If you put this guys in an hot enviroment, they will die quickly. Same goes for cold enviroment. If the temperature where you have the ant farm varies to much the ants will die quickly. The office here is about the same comfortable temperature all the... Read more 158 of 164 people found the following review helpful short lived, yet fascinating, fun, By A Customer = Durability: = Fun: = Educational: This review is from: Uncle Milton Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm (Toy) I think you have to view the Ant Farm as a product in three seperate stage.1) You get the ant house and wait for the ants. The delay in receiving the ants is difficult (it made us all "antsy"? ) but we were pleased with how few dead ants there were on arrival. Think of it as a chance to read up on ant behavior.... 2) The ants arrive and do their thing. Watching them build their tunnels was absolutely fascinating -- for a week. The adults in our house were just as fascinated as the children. 3) The decline and fall of an ant empire. After a week, we had a dramatic die off, despite rigerously following the instructions re. feeding, temperature, humidity, etc. Now we have ONE lone ant, wandering the tunnels, who has lived 4 weeks past the life of her companions. Kind of a sad end for a social creature, when you think about it.... Bottom line: If I had known 99% of our ants would die at the end of a week, I would not have invested [the money], but we... Read more 73 of 74 people found the following review helpful Worth it, if you're careful!, By A Customer = Durability: = Fun: = Educational: This review is from: Uncle Milton Uncle Milton Giant Ant Farm (Toy) My mother threw mine out when I was young so of course I got another for my son. Sure, you can build your own, but for the small price this is well worth the investment to get one that will work first time.But here are some hints for using the ant farm from one who has learned from experience: 1. Be careful putting in the "sand." Follow the instructions very carefully, and make sure to keep the cotton plugs securely in place. Don't "pack" the sand in AT ALL or the sides will spread outward and the farm will leak. 2. When you get the ants, make sure to let them "cool off" in the refrigerator for a couple of hours to slow them down before you try to dump them into the farm. They look immobile but as soon as you open the lid of that tiny jar those fiesty little buggers are all over the place! And believe me, they are FAST. Use an earlier-prepared big paper funnel to help get them all in. 3. Be very careful when taking off the... Read more |
› See all 63 customer reviews...
