

Lily and Ben were playing in the garden. They liked to look at the flowers and the bugs. They saw a big ant hill and wanted to see the ants.
"Can we go closer?" Lily asked.
"OK, but be careful. Ants can bite," Ben said.
They walked slowly to the ant hill and watched the ants go in and out. They saw some ants carrying bits of leaves and some ants carrying crumbs of food.
"Wow, they are so busy!" Lily said.
"They are working hard. They are making their home," Ben said.
They heard their mom calling them from the house.
"Time for lunch, kids! Come inside!"
Lily and Ben did not want to leave the ants. They wanted to see more.
"Can we stay a little longer, mom?" Lily shouted.
"Please, mom, just a few more minutes?" Ben added.
Mom smiled and said, "OK, but only a few more minutes. Then you have to come inside and wash your hands. Don't delay, or your food will get cold."
Lily and Ben thanked mom and went back to the ant hill. They saw a beautiful ant queen coming out of the hole. She had shiny wings and a big body.
"Look, Ben, it's the queen! She is so beautiful!" Lily said.
"She is the boss of the ants. She lays the eggs and makes more ants," Ben said.
They watched the queen fly away with some other ants. They wondered where she was going.
"Maybe she is looking for a new home," Lily said.
"Maybe she is visiting her friends," Ben said.
They heard mom calling them again.
"Come on, kids, time's up! Lunch is ready!"
Lily and Ben said goodbye to the ants and ran to the house. They were hungry and curious. They wanted to learn more about the ants and the queen. They decided to come back to the garden later and look for them again.
