The CurioDen Teacher Guide & Lesson Plan Pack is the digital curriculum behind our classroom ant farm sets. It turns a box of habitats into a planned unit: six core lesson plans, six extension labs, printable observation journal masters, an assessment rubric, a family letter and a setup and troubleshooting guide, in one print-ready PDF.

What’s included in the digital lesson plan pack

6 core lesson plans — each with objective, materials list, 20–30 minute procedure, discussion questions and a journal prompt.
6 extension labs — longer investigations for a 40–45 minute period or a science-fair project.
Printable observation journal masters — dated prompts, sketch boxes and prediction and conclusion sections, ready to photocopy.
Assessment rubric and family letter — a rubric for observation quality and evidence-based writing, plus a take-home guardian letter.
Setup and troubleshooting guide — cartridge seating, water level, condensation and inactive-colony checks.

Curriculum fit: life cycle, ecosystems and observation journaling

Three strands run through the pack so a teacher can run a short unit or a full term: life cycle (what a colony looks like in a gel nest and which stages are visible), ecosystems (the colony as a system with producers, consumers and decomposers) and observation journaling (prompts that scaffold prediction, measurement, sketching and an evidence-based conclusion).

The pack does not claim any standards code. District documents differ, and alignment claims invite procurement questions during bid review; the guide gives suggested grade bands and each lesson’s driving question so coordinators can map the unit to their framework.

Classroom logistics: 20–30 minute prep, works with 6 or 12 stations

Prep is 20–30 minutes per lesson: print the journal master and gather the listed materials; no other purchase is required.
Supports both set sizes: plans scale from the 6-unit set (groups of four) to the 12-unit set (two classrooms in parallel).
Substitute-friendly: each plan is a single page with the question, procedure and journal prompt.
Print only what you need: journal masters are Letter-size and can be photocopied or shared online.

Specifications

Format	Print-ready PDF, Letter size; delivered as a download link
Contents	6 lesson plans, 6 extension labs, journal masters, rubric, family letter, troubleshooting guide
Licence	Single teacher and classroom use; site and district licences quoted on request
Delivery	Download link after purchase; PO orders emailed the same business day
MOQ	500 licences for co-branded editions; no minimum on a standard digital purchase
Lead time	Immediate for the standard pack; 25–35 days for a co-branded edition
Age grade	Designed for ages 6+ with adult supervision
Live ants	Not included — digital resource; ships without live ants
Compliance	CPC and ASTM F963 test reports for classroom hardware available on request; this PDF is not a toy
Note	Contents provisional pending final curriculum review; request the current contents summary.

Purchasing, paperwork and school compliance

Digital purchases still go through the business office, so the pack is set up for the paperwork schools already use.

Purchase orders: email your PO to orders@curioden.com; we email the link to the teacher named on the order and offer Net 30 terms for approved institutions.
Quotes and bid documentation: line-item quotation and contents specification available for requisitions; digital items carry no freight charge.
W-9, vendor setup and sole-source letter: W-9 and remittance details available on request; sole-source letter available for single-source curriculum purchases.
Tax exemption: school and district exemption certificates accepted.

Safety and compliance. For ages 6+ with adult supervision: the plans assume an adult is present during observation and feeding. WARNING: Choking Hazard — Small parts. Not for children under 3 years applies to the habitats this pack supports. This digital pack contains no ants and no habitat; it ships without live ants because nothing physical is shipped. The classroom sets follow the same live-ant guidance: live ants are not included, some states restrict live ant import, and we do not ship live ants. CPC and ASTM F963 test reports available on request for the classroom hardware.

Wholesale tiers, distributor pricing and OEM

The digital pack is the cheapest item a distributor can add to a classroom order: it raises order value without adding freight:

1–9 licences	List price
10–49 licences	10% off list
50–199 licences	20% off list
200+ licences	Quoted per order
Site and district licences	Quoted on request

Bulk STEM curriculum, wholesale classroom resources and private label. We license co-branded editions to distributors and museum education departments from 500 licences: your logo on the cover and footer, with a custom lesson inserted from 1,000 licences, on a 25–35 day production window.

Bundle the pack with Classroom Ant Farm Sets on one PO; we ship the sets and email the licences together.

Frequently asked questions

Is this a printed book or a download?

A print-ready PDF download with lesson plans, journal masters, rubric and family letter. Print what you need and reuse the file under the same teacher licence.

Does it work with both classroom set sizes?

Yes. Core plans are written for groups of four at one station, which works with either set; scheduling notes cover both.

Can we order with a purchase order?

Yes. Send the PO to orders@curioden.com with the teacher’s name and email; we email the link the same business day and invoice the school or district.

Can more than one teacher use one licence?

One licence covers one teacher and their classroom. For grade-level teams and districts, site licences are quoted on request.

lesson plans

Teacher Guide & Lesson Plan Pack | Digital Classroom Kit