A vida no formigueiro (Life in the anthil)

Children enrolled in preschool and elementary school have a basic knowledge of day-to-day ants (insects)
whether they see them in the garden of the house, orchard, or school backyard or neighborhoods where they live
or through media. The urbanization of the environment where children live has kept the children from the
natural world. These investigation complements further a similar study and evaluate how children ages 3 to 13
years old represented the ant by a drawing. They were asked to draw a representation of the word “ant” meant to
them. Results show the importance of everyday observations beyond formal education for the developing of
natural history knowledge of children. Children from the earliest years notice insects in their everyday lives and
built a bank of knowledge, gradually acquiring an understanding of adaptation of habitats. Children notice
insects in their lives to differing extents and sources according to the culture in which they are immersed.
Experiences of seeing or finding out about insects and particularly ants, are encapsulated for many children in
the form of narratives and contribute to their mental models of ants (insects) an their habitats upon which they
will draw in formal science later (Biology and Environmental Education).