Love bugs? Then you’ll have a blast making these bug-themed snacks that look like a real ant visiting a colony of aphids on a branch. The best part? You get to eat your creepy-crawly creation when you’re done!
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 1
Difficulty Level: Easy
Ingredients
- 2 celery sticks
- 1/4 cup corn kernels (canned or fresh off the cob)
- 2 cherries
- 1 large grape
- 1 cherry stem
- 6 chow mein noodles (crunchy)
- 3 toothpicks
Allergy notes: This recipe is nut-free, dairy-free, and gluten-free except for the chow mein noodles (contain wheat). For a fully gluten-free version, swap the noodles for pretzel stick pieces (check labels) or thin carrot slivers.
Substitutions:
- No corn kernels? Use raisins, dried cranberries, or sunflower seeds instead.
- No cherries? Try strawberry halves, large blueberries, or melon balls.
- No chow mein noodles? Break pretzel sticks into small pieces for the legs.
Steps
- Lay out the logs. Place two celery sticks side by side on a plate.
- Add the aphids. Fill each celery stick with corn kernels, lining them up in a row. These are your tiny aphids hanging out on a branch!
- Build the ant’s body. Push a toothpick through one cherry, then through the second cherry, then through the grape, connecting them in a line. The top cherry is the head, and the other cherry and the grape are the thorax and abdomen (the middle and back sections of a real ant’s body).
- Give it antennae. Poke another cherry stem into the top of the head. Bend it slightly so it looks like two antennae.
- Attach the legs. Stick three chow mein noodles into each side of the ant’s body sections, for a total of six legs. Real ants always have exactly six legs!
- Set the scene. Place your finished ant next to the celery logs so it looks like it’s visiting its aphid friends.
Grownup help needed: Younger kids may need help pushing toothpicks through the fruit. Remind everyone to remove toothpicks before eating!
