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A IRY
AN TDDM ILK
ND A
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AN D

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ANTHILL S INC.

ANTE ROOM

CLOTHING

ANTS IN PANTS

9 788378 290704

danger at the circus

THE runaway DOG
the secret of the spooky house
the goofed up science project

S
CON DO

DR. FEELERS - ANTENNA REPA IR

Look for Andy Ant in his other books, too!

Y L AN D PA R K

The Goofed Up
Science Project

the goofed up science project

Sometimes we have great plans which come to nothing because we put
them off until later to eventually forget about them.
For this very reason, Joey forgets an important homework in Biology.
Andy tries to help him out of this situation and the disaster is round the corner.
After that day, Joey discovers that our responsibilities should never be
put off until the last minute, because it can only cause problems!

ISBN 978-83-7829-070-4

IR
Y

DETO UR

A N TR A C K D E P O T

CAUTION
RO OT
TRIMM ING

ANTRHOPOLO GY

GRAND ANT THEATER

CHARLIES ANT ANTY MAMME

A little ant with big ideas, and his human friend Joey
will delight your children with their exciting adventures.
The imaginative stories in these fun, colorful books will both entertain
your children and help them learn valuable lessons
that every kid should know.

lawn mower on the loose

runaway ants
the swimming hole disaster
the band music mystery

EXPRESS

JOEYS HOME

ANDYS HOME

Mr. DAVIS
HOME
Creator: Lawrence W. ONan created Andy Ant in the 1970s when he told bed-time
stories to his children. He developed Andy Ant to assist him in instilling values and
providing an imaginary hero for his two daughters. He regularly lectures and teaches
on subjects dealing with values. He and his family reside in California, where is he is
a fund raising consultant with nonprofit organizations.
Author: Gerald D. ONan is the author of the Andy Ants stories. The stories are based
on events that occurred during his childhood and individuals who played important
roles in his life as a child. He actively works with children in his community as a
teacher and storyteller and also teaches seminars in public and private schools on
creative writing and storytelling. He and his family reside in Colorado, where he is
an attorney.
Illustrator: Norman McGary is an internationally recognized illustrator. He began
his career in 1957 when he illustrated childrens books for Walt Disney and became
known for his illustrations in 101 Dalmatians and Sleeping Beauty. His career also includes extensive work with Hanna-Barbera Productions, Warner Brothers, and Jeremiah Films. He resides in California, where he continues to illustrate many projects.

ANDYS
SWIMMING HOLE

ANDYS
ROOM

FAMILY
ROOM

ANT SCHOOL

JOEYS
SCHOOL

STORM
DRAIN

INSIDE
ANDYS HOME
PORCH
STEP

SIDEWALK

HALLWAY

DINING ROOM

Dear
things
o
d
o
t
t
e
g
r
o
f
Sometimes we
doing.
n
o
d
e
n
n
la
p
y
that we reall
tart the
s
o
t
g
n
lo
o
o
t
it
I guess we wa
forgot.
I
y
h
w
s
t
a
h
t
project and
ut but
o
e
m
lp
e
h
o
t
d
Andy even trie
on Andys
g
in
d
n
e
p
e
d
s
maybe I wa
almost
e
w
e
s
u
a
c
e
b
help too much
jects
o
r
p
r
u
o
y
o
d
,
! So
had a disaster
ave any
h
t
n
o
d
d
n
a
y
right awa
disasters.
Sincerely,
Joey

The Goofed Up
Science Project
Created by Lawrence W. ONan
Written by Gerald D. ONan
Illustrated by Norman McGary
To Jonathan Davies and in memory of Jay Davis
two special friends

Vocatio PUBLISHING HOUSE

Warsaw

Joey, time to get up, mom said as she

peeked in my room. I opened my eyes and
looked out the window. The sun was shining,
and it looked like a perfect day to get ready
for spring vacation. Tomorrow we were going
to my cousins house and spend a whole week
there.
My cousin lived in the mountains, and I had
never been to the mountains before. Wow, I was so excited that I
had spent the last few weeks just thinking about all the things I
would need to take along. Today was Friday, just one more day of
school before vacation.
Friday Oh, no, I said
right out loud. I just remembered that I was supposed
to bring in a science project today. Mrs. Mash,
my teacher, told us
to bring in a project that had something to do with

spring. And that was a couple of weeks ago. I had planned to do

the project but just hadnt gotten around to it. What was I going to
do?
Suddenly, I heard a familiar tap on my window. There stood
Andy and his friend Dickter.
Morning, Joey, Andy said, Sorry to bother you, but were a
little hungry. So, we thought we would have breakfast with you.
Andy and Dickter were already on spring vacation. They had
been getting up real early everyday so they wouldnt waste any of
it. I wondered why it was always so easy to get out of bed on vacation days and so hard to get up on regular school days. But I didnt
even feel like asking ol philosopher Andy that question today.

Sure, come on in, I said in a real low voice.

W-whats wrong Joey? Dickter said with just a little stutter.
Oh, I forgot to make a science project for school. And its due
today, I said. Without a project Ill probably get a bad grade in
science.
That is pretty bad, Andy said, Why did you forget to work on
it?
Well, I had planned to work on it, but I kept thinking I would
do it tomorrow. And here it is tomorrow and its not done, I said.
When I finished telling them my problem, Dickter leaned over
and whispered something in Andys ear.
Hmm, Andy said, maybe there is a way we can help you.
Do you really think so, I asked?
Yeah, well tell you while we eat breakfast, Andy said.

11

Andy and Dickter both grabbed a crumb, and

after a few bites, they started telling me their
plan.
How would it be if were your science
project? Andy asked.
I dont understand, I said.
Well, your project could be about ants.
After all, you do know a lot about ants,
Andy said with a laugh.
But I have to show my class a project, not just tell them something, I said.
We have that figured out, too, Andy said. We can get our
friends to help. If you can get a jar full of dirt, we can make an ant
farm. It was Dickters idea. What do you think?
Y-yeah, w-what do you think, Dickter asked, with that antenna-to-antenna smile.
Could you make tunnels and everything before science class?
Well sure try, J-Joey, Dickter said. B-but dont let Mrs. Mash
do anything to us.
Somebody told Dickter that Mrs. Mash got her name because
of what she does to ants, Andy whispered.
On, dont worry. Thats just her real name, I said. I dont think
she ever really mashed anybody.
I wasnt sure if Dickter felt better about Mrs. Mash, but I was
sure feeling better about my project. I figured Andy and the gang
would get most all the work done and I would just do the talking.
All I needed was a jar, but I didnt know where mom kept them.
What are you looking for? mom asked, when she saw my head
in the cupboard.

12

Well, Im looking for a jar, I said.

What for? mom questioned.
I knew it would be best to tell her the truth.
So I did. Mom shook her head, Its kind of
late to start a project the day it is due Joey, but
Ill help if I can. What is your project?
Im going to make an ant farm and tell

about ants, I said.

As much time as you spend over by the sidewalk looking at
those ants, you should know a lot about them, mom said. If I
didnt know better, I would think you were talking to them.
Wow, I didnt know mom even saw me when I was over at Andys house. But I guess moms and dads know a lot more than we
think. Anyway, mom helped me get the jar and fill it full of dirt.

By the time I got over to the sidewalk, Andy and

all his friends were there.
We had better hurry, Andy said, there isnt
much time, and we have a lot of digging to do.

And with that, all of Andys friends started

loading their gear into the jar. There were picks
and shovels, wheelbarrows and lots of other
things to build the ant farm.
O. K., Joey, lets head for school, Andy directed, like a general getting ready for battle.
I screwed the lid on tight so nobody would
fall out. When I got to school, I put the jar under my seat. It would be safe there until I had to show my project.
Science class wasnt until after lunch, so I was hoping that Andy
and his friends could really make some good tunnels by then. I
kept peeking to see how the tunnels looked, but I couldnt see very
much.
Mrs. Mash always calls our names when its each persons turn
to come up front. And wouldnt you know it, today my name was
first. I didnt even have time to look at the jar again before I had to
show the class my ant farm.

Ants are very hard workers, I began. They live in places like driveways and under sidewalks and lots of
them live over at the vacant lot.
Ants can carry things that are bigger than they are, I continued. And
they can teach us an awful lot.
Dad once told me that God even
wanted us to learn things from ants, so
I really made sure the class knew how
smart ants were. After that I couldnt think of anything to say. All
the kids were just looking at me and so was Mrs. Mash. I tried to
think of more to say, but nothing came out. At least I had my ant
farm.
I held up the jar real high so everyone could see all the tunnels
Andy and Dickter had made. But there wasnt a single tunnel. It
was just a jar full of dirt.
Mrs. Mash said it looked like I hadnt worked on my project
very long, and of course she was right. I could tell she wasnt going to give me a very good grade. Finally, she told me to put the
jar on the shelf by the window. That way we all could see
the ants working the rest of the day.

When I sat down, all I could think about

was how bad my science project must have
looked. I couldnt understand why Andy and
the guys hadnt dug any tunnels. If they had
just worked a little bit, I would have gotten a
good grade.
After science class was over, I thought I heard
somebody calling my name, Joey, Joey.
It almost sounded like Andy. I looked over at the jar, but there
were a lot of water drops all over the inside and I couldnt see Andy.
I didnt understand how all the water had gotten inside the jar. I
hoped one of the kids hadnt poured anything in there.
A few hours later, the bell rang and school was out for spring vacation. I ran home as fast as I could. I was hoping dad would load
the car right away so we could leave for our vacation.

Hi, Joey, mom said. Did you have a good day at school?
Yeah, I answered as I grabbed a cookie out of the cookie jar.
Did Mrs. Mash like your science project? she asked.
My science project, I gasped, almost choking on my cookie. I
left it at school. Ive got to go get it!
The school is probably locked up by now, mom said.
Oh, mom, I cant leave the ants in the jar all during spring vacation. They wont have anything to eat and they might die, I said,
running out the door.
When I got back to school, it looked like everybody was gone.
The door of the school was locked, but I banged on it real hard just
in case somebody was in side. I banged and banged, but nobody
came.
I sat down on the steps and tried to figure out what to do. Suddenly, the door opened behind me.

Was that you trying to break the door down? I heard a voice
say. It was Mr. Miffin, our janitor.
Yes sir. I said. And I started telling him my problem.
Im not supposed to let anybody in the school after its locked
up, he said, and he looked me right in the eye. But run in and get
your project. Ill wait for you here.
I hurried real fast, and in no time I had the jar and was on my
way home.
When I got in my room, I took the lid off. Andy, are you in
there? I asked.
First, Andys head peeked out and then Dickter. And before I
knew it, the whole Grand Ant soccer team was slowly climbing
out.

22

Why didnt you build any tunnels like you said? I questioned.
We c-could hardly breathe, Dickter said taking in a big gulp
of air. We were trapped!
You didnt punch any holes in the lid, so we didnt dare do any
work because that would use up our air faster, Andy said.
I didnt even think about punching air holes in the lid, I said.

Im sure you didnt think about it, Joey. But thats what happens when we wait until the last minute to do a job. A person who
does that is a procrastinator that means they always wait until
the last minute, Andy said in his philosophers voice.
Yeah, I should have started the project as soon as Mrs. Mash
told us about it, I said quietly.

Thats right! If you wait until the last minute, you never do your best. Then you end up
in a big hurry and usually forget something really important, Andy said, still talking in his
philosophers voice.
Like air holes in the lid.
Youre right, Andy said. But we were all
in a big hurry and didnt make very good plans. Plans like how we
were going to breathe. Thats why we almost had a big disaster.
Andy didnt have to say it, but we both knew that is why my
project was a disaster. Not because of what Andy didnt do, but because of what I didnt do.

I bet you even thought I had forgotten about you, I said, hoping
Andy hadnt really noticed.
We didnt THINK that, Joey, we
KNEW it, Andy said with a
chuckle. But somehow we
knew you would come back
to rescue us, even if it was at
the last minute.
Then we all laughed!
I wasnt going to wait until
the last minute on any more
projects. After all I didnt
want Andy calling me a procrastinator or whatever that
big word was. I decided I was
going to start my projects right
away. Maybe I could help dad

load the car! That would be a good project. If

we started loading it now, we wouldnt get in
a hurry and forget something really important
like all the things I was going to take to my
cousins. It would be a disaster if I didnt take
those things. And we wouldnt want any disasters ion spring vacation, would we!

Mom

Dickter

Uncle Andrew

Parker

Angelica

Dad

Your Friend,
Andy
Andys Family (Me)

Mom

Dad

Freckles

Becky

Dwayne
Your Friend,
Joey
Joeys Family (Me)

The Adventures of Andy Ant

The Goofed up Science Project.

Copyright 1995 by Andy Ant Productions, Inc.

10951 W. Center Ave., Lakewood, CO 80226, U.S.A.
All rights reserved

Copyright for the English edition

(excluding North America)
1996 by VOCATIO PUBLISHING HOUSE
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or any portions thereof, in any form.
No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic
or mechanical, magnetic, chemical, optical, manual, or otherwise, including photocopying, recording,
or by any information storage or retrieval system without prior written permission from VOCATIO.
For the permission please contact:
VOCATIO PUBLISHING HOUSE
Polnej Ry 1
02-798 Warsaw
POLAND
e-mail: ceo@vocatio.us
www.vocatio.us
Printed in Poland

ISBN 978-83-7829-070-4