This Giant
Ant Farm
is on sale for $13.95 from $19.99. 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. What they dig are
tunnels that connect what might loosely be called "chambers."
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, a teacher
