Day Hiking Trails: Hiking game for kids: Hungry, Hungry Ants

Friday, June 22, 2012

Hiking game for kids: Hungry, Hungry Ants

Illustration courtesy of Wisconsin DNR.

Generally, exploring and discovery is enough for kids, but sometimes even they can grow bored with that and become restless. Remember that they naturally have shorter attention spans than adults.

Fortunately, there are lots of tried and true activities you can do on the trail that’ll keep kids from getting bored. Among them is Hungry, Hungry Ants.

Once you spot an ant hill, see if its inhabitants have a trail of workers leading away from their home. If they do, follow the ants and discover what they’re eating. A magnifying glass helps but isn’t necessary. Also, don’t play this game with red ants that bite.

Materials: None needed (though a magnifying glass helps).

Ages: 3 and up.

Read more about day hiking with children in my guidebook Hikes with Tykes.

Meet the Author

My name is Rob Bignell. I'm a long-time hiker, journalist and editor. My son Kieran and I have been hiking together for the past decade. Before Kieran, I taught middle school students in New Mexico and Wisconsin, served as an infantryman in the Army National Guard, and worked in newspapers. I've won several journalism awards, from editorial writing to sports reporting. In 2001, The Prescott Journal, which I served as managing editor of, was named Wisconsin’s Weekly Newspaper of the Year. Currently I own and operate an online editing business, Inventing Reality Editing Service. After spending several years in Southern California, my son and I now live in Wisconsin on the scenic Red Cedar River.