Most Days Are Like This

Not many days go by in summer without some kind of bug investigation - one year I remember the midget had a thing for dead worms - I don't know if he was measuring them or trying to wake them up, but he played with them a lot (NB. they were dead before he started playing with them - honest!)

Woodlouse colonies are a firm fave here - especially when they find the bright white babies. Endless oohing and ahhing.

This year we have gone one step further by entrapping the bugs with a cunning trap, involving a pit, a slippery container, some smelly cheese and a plastic roof.

Some days we just luck out and find things right in front of us - like Chris here - or Chrys if you prefer ("he will turn into a chrysalis, Mummy") - pretty sure he's a moth caterpillar. We played with him for a while - the midget even kissed him (he hit him in the face by accident resulting in Chris curling up. Before I knew it Midget had said "oooh sorry!!" and a big smackeroony had been planted before I could even dry heave) - then we put him in the hatching chamber to continue our investigations further.

There are advantages to having fearless bug hunters in the house - they catch spiders for their Mama and don't mind carrying the wriggly critters to the top of the garden before releasing them. They have no fear of ugly, many-legged monstrosities which have most of us squealing like a girl from on top of a stool (ahem).

The downside of this fearlessness? well I am at a distinct disadvantage if, say, they want to run after me with a big, black spider in their hands? The fact that my house is home to ugly bugs most of the summer? The fact that I have to pretend to find moths interesting instead of hideous??

These little people teach me so much, and stretch me in ways I would never have dreamed about. And even though they kiss bugs, I am so terribly proud of their fearlessness. Masha'allah.

Comments

[minara]

mashallah, my children run a mile when they see bugs of most kinds (just about got round to touching ladybirds)
http://minara-homeschoolhome.blogspot.com/

[wayfarer]

My son is a bug lover too. Has cried over the things. Will touch anything. Problem the other day though, he tried to catch a poisonous snake. Eeek. Didn't realize we had any that close (neighbors retaining wall). And i didn't realize what he was doing at first. Brave and crazy boy.

[Mu Mu Design]

oh I think my two would be in heaven if they had anything poisonous over here and there was a real chance of dying in the garden! Show him how to use a forked stick before you let him back out! ;-)

[Mu Mu Design]

mine were like that when they were toddlers. I dont' know what happened, because now they know no fear. masha'allah

[wayfarer]

he has a thing with wanting to see how things feel so i doubt it would work. :-) yeah, poisonous is good in boy vocabulary.