Aunt Picnic

Livvy loved this little critter so much she decided to adopt her as a family member. So meet Livvy's Aunt Picnic - not to be confused with an ordinary picnic ant.

We thought this little creature would be a good way to teach children the parts of an insect: head, thorax, and abdomen. The carrots become the 6 legs and 2 antennae.

You'll need:

• Lettuce
• 1 can of jumbo or colossal pitted black olives
• 1 can of medium-size pitted black olives
• Shredded carrots
• Cream cheese
• A little adult help

Equipment:

• Toothpicks
• A sharp knife
• A plastic piping bag or zipper bag
• Kitchen shears or scissors
• Small serving plates

1. Arrange the lettuce on a small plate.
2. Select a large olive and poke 2 holes, one on each side.
3. Select 2 long carrot shreds. Use the hardest ends to push the carrots into the olive to make the back legs.
4. Take a medium-size olive and poke 4 holes, two on each side.
5. Push a carrot shred into each hole.
6. Put the cream cheese into the piping bag or on corner of a zipper bag. Clip the end to make a hole.
7. Stick the end of the bag into the hole in the big olive and squeeze gently, pulling the bag out slowly as the olive fills. That's your ant's abdomen.
8. Repeat with the medium olive that has the "legs" in it - the ant's thorax.
9. Put the two cream cheese ends together so they stick and lay them on the bed of lettuce.
10. The last olive should have a cross cut in one end where the machine pushed the pit out. Take 2 more carrot shreds and stick them in that slot to make the ant's antennae.
11. Fill this last olive with cream cheese and stick it on for the head.
12. Your auntie is ready for the picnic!