For “starter” pets for your child or for a home or school project that will hold his or her interest, here are two ideas for “pets” that you may not have considered recently. An ant farm and a frog habitat are fun, hands-on ways to learn more about nature.

The Wonders of Ant Farms

   For the ant farm, you’ll need: a one-gallon or larger clear plastic or glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, one tubular can such as the kind potato chips come in, soil, black construction paper and ants.
   Place the tubular can inside the large jar. (This can forces the ants to build their tunnels, etc., near the edge of the jar rather than in the middle, out of view.) Spoon soil into jar all around the smaller can to within 2 to 3 inches of the top of the jar (not into the can). Punch many small holes in the lid of the jar. Tape black construction paper all around the outside of the jar so the ants, as they tunnel along the inside edge of the jar, will think they are underground.
   Find an anthill under rocks in your yard, in orchards or gardens and in vacant lots. Capture many ants and gather the little white globular eggs and larvae as well. Try to find the queen (she may have wings), an ant two to three times larger than the other ants. Place ants, queen and some of the eggs in the soil in the jar. (If you don’t have access to ants, try hobby shops or educational toy stores, or send an inquiry to Ant Farm Supplies, Uncle Milton Industries, PO Box 246, Culver City, CA 90230.)
   Feed them bits of fruits, vegetables, and bread dipped in sugar water or honey solution, and keep them in a warm — not hot — place.

Frog Habitats: A Leap into Nature

   Another intriguing nature lesson can be found in frog habitats, which you can purchase. Tadpoles, complete with plastic pool and “cabana,” are shipped to you when the weather is temperate. For more information on prices and ordering, call 1-888-742-2484.