Are ants good organisms to teach elementary students about invasive species?

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of our outreach program “ImportANTs of Ants” in communicating scientific topics to children, sparking an interest in environmental protection and science. The Red Imported Fire Ant (RIFA) impacts Florida and much of the Southeast USA; causing the country and ecosystem a great deal of damage though economic, health, and environmental costs. Thus, the program focuses on the dynamic interplay of the ecosystem with native/invasive species. Through the use of various active learning approaches including presentations, handouts, crafts, and live colonies, we evaluate the effectiveness of the material, the content learned by the children, their overall attitudes towards the topics, and future interests in research and environmental preservation. Approximately 400 students from three different schools, spanning 4 grade levels, were assessed using short anonymous surveys. We expect an increase in student knowledge about native/invasive species and interest in environmental protection, research and science.