12 of 107 results for "ants"
Collection
Antarctica Lesson Collection

Dive into the wonders of Antarctica with this multi-grade lesson collection! Tailored for K–2, 3–5, 6–8, and 9–12, each unit includes engaging activities, thought-provoking discussions, and hands-on projects to uncover the mysteries of the frozen continent. Enhance your teaching with stunning BBC video clips showcasing Antarctic wildlife, research stations, and breathtaking icy landscapes. Printable resources like animal fact sheets, scientist journal templates, and conservation challenges bring the learning to life for your students. Perfect for science, geography, and environmental lessons!

Collection
Teach the Polar Ecosystem

Bring your students on an icy exploration of the polar ecosystem! The Arctic and Antarctica may look frozen and empty at first glance, but they’re full of life perfectly adapted to the cold. 

Perfect for grades 3–8, here’s what you need to bring ecosystems to life:

  • Iconic BBC Videos: Share the clips on this page to introduce the location, plants, animals, and climate of the polar regions. (Don't miss the narwhals and emperor penguins!) Brought to you by world-class BBC programs like Planet Earth, Frozen Planet, and Seven Worlds, One Planet.
  • Free Printable: Use the Polar Brochure Template to help students pull it all together in an ecosystem report with facts they’ve learned (and a little extra research).

It’s everything you need to make ecosystems easy to teach and truly memorable for your students.

Student Article
Amazing Ants: Supercolonies, Survival Tricks, and Spirals of Doom

The article “Amazing Ants: Supercolonies, Survival Tricks, and Spirals of Doom” from BBC's Discover Wildlife is a deep dive into the incredible lives of ants. It explains what ants are, how they live and work together, and why some colonies can stretch for thousands of miles. It also explores strange behaviors like ant death spirals, how ants float during floods, how they treat their injured, and even use tools.

Video
Reptiles and Water in the Desert

In Reptiles and Water in the Desert, narrator Sir David Attenborough describes how all wildlife makes the most of any opportunity to get water in the desert. The thorny devil sources water from eating ants but it can also dip its toe in puddles and collect moisture by capillary action. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.

Video
The Industrious Insects of the Grasslands

In The Industrious Insects of the Grasslands, narrator Sir David Attenborough explains that around the world, over one-third of the grass that grows will be harvested by insects. Grass cutter ants harvest grass to feed underground fungus that they feed upon. Termites can digest grass, and they in turn become food for the giant anteater. After a prairie fire, termites and anteaters must wait for living roots to regenerate grass. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Planet Earth II, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.

Video
The Cordyceps Fungi, Creates Real Life Zombies

In The Cordyceps Fungi, Creates Real Life Zombies, narrator Sir David Attenborough examines the thousands of different types of Cordyceps fungi. Learn how colonies must remove ants infected with Cordyceps because eventually, fruit from the fungus erupts from the ant's head, and deadly spores burst from the tip. This video is excerpted from BBC's Planet Earth, a breathtaking documentary series that highlights the natural wonders of our planet.

Printable
Be a Bug Inspector Like Bingo With This Fun Checklist

Bug inspectors! Bingo and Lila are keeping an eye on the bugs on their water slide. They need to make sure Dad doesn’t squish them with his bum! Can you find five leaf bugs, shiny bugs, grasshoppers, ants, caterpillars, rainbowy bugs, and ladybugs?

Inspired by Season 3, Episode 46 "Slide": Bingo and Lila are excited to play on their new waterslide, but first they have to make sure they don’t squish any bugs.

Quiz
The Industrious Insects of the Grasslands Quiz

Around the world, over one-third of the grass that grows will be harvested by insects! First watch The Industrious Insects of the Grasslands, a short clip from the award-winning BBC series Planet Earth. Sir David Attenborough introduces you to grass cutter ants, who harvest grass to feed underground fungus that they feed upon, and termites, who can digest grass and in turn become food for the giant anteater.

Once your students have watched the video, invite them to check for understanding with this quick, 8-question quiz!

Video
Desert Pangolins' Quest for Food

In Desert Pangolins' Quest for Food, narrator Sir David Attenborough reveals how pangolins find nutritious food in the harsh, dry environment of the desert. They use their keen sense of smell to locate termite nests. This video is excerpted from BBC’s Seven Worlds, One Planet, a series featuring remarkable animal behavior from all seven continents.

Video
Woodpeckers and Nuthatches, Woodland Architects

In Woodpeckers and Nuthatches, Woodland Architects, Ranger Hamza and the Ramblers are on a quest to find woodpeckers. Come along to learn about how woodpeckers use their beaks and tongues to find food. This video is excerpted from BBC's Ranger Hamza’s Eco Quest, a nature exploration show in which Ranger Hamza and the Ramblers go on quests to discover nature’s wonders and the important role they play in our environment.

Playlist
Desert Animals Around the World: A BBC Video Playlist

Deserts look empty. They are anything but.

From the sun-scorched dunes of the Sahara to the scrubby plains of Australia, desert animals have cracked one of nature's toughest puzzles: how to survive where water is scarce, temperatures are brutal, and food is hard to find. In this playlist, you'll meet the remarkable species that call these landscapes home — from the iconic camel and the lightning-fast hawk to the bounding kangaroo and the armored pangolin.

Each clip, drawn from landmark BBC series including Seven Worlds, One Planet and Planet Earth II, puts you face-to-face with real desert survival in action. Some animals store water and energy for enormous journeys across open terrain. Others hunt by night, move in short bursts, or use camouflage so good they practically disappear. Every strategy is different. Every one is extraordinary.

As you watch, think bigger: How do animals adapt to temperatures that would stop most creatures in their tracks? What physical traits make desert life not just possible, but thriving? And how do these species — predator and prey, reptile and mammal — depend on each other to keep desert ecosystems in balance?

This playlist won't just teach you about deserts. It will make you see them differently.

Playlist
The Best of Sir David Attenborough Playlist

Celebrate the incredible work of Sir David Attenborough — a storyteller who has helped millions of students and viewers explore the natural world. On the occasion of his 100th birthday on May 8, 2026, we honor his enormous accomplishments in the field of environmental advocacy and his role in revolutionizing nature documentaries.

This playlist brings together 10 unforgettable clips from landmark BBC series like Planet Earth, Blue Planet, and Frozen Planet. Each video showcases amazing wildlife, powerful storytelling, and moments that spark curiosity and wonder.

Perfect for the classroom or at home, these videos help students connect with nature, understand our planet, and feel inspired to protect it.