“It’s a snake!” exclaimed Max with delight as he held the wriggling, mud-covered creature in his hands.
“No, it’s just a worm,” I replied, barely glancing away from my laptop.
“No, it’s a worm snake!” he insisted with a grin. Apparently, worm snakes are a real thing, and my 7-year-old had accidentally uncovered one right in our backyard.
This isn’t an isolated incident. Whenever my children are outdoors, they’re on a mission to catch small creatures, particularly those of the scaly or slimy variety. Not a single Carolina anole is safe from their grasp. They’ve spent so much time trying to catch these little lizards that we’ve given them names: the hefty blackish one lounging on the trash can, and his smaller, feistier counterpart. There’s also the striped skink hiding under the porch and the imposing brown skink that seems to have leapt from my nightmares to our lumber pile. While some might see this as a rough-and-tumble approach, I wholeheartedly support their explorations, providing them with nets and observation tanks to safely engage with wildlife.
Children need nature, and part of that connection involves interacting with the creepy-crawlies and slow-moving creatures — in essence, the most fascinating aspects of the great outdoors. As Peter Kahn Jr. and Stephen Kellert discuss in their book Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural, and Evolutionary Investigations, the natural world was the primary environment for children before modern distractions took hold. The scientists argue that animals “provide a means by which children come to care about nonsentient nature.” Simply put, when kids engage with animals, they strengthen their bond with the natural world. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, notes that children’s physical intimacy with nature is on the decline. Therefore, any effort to reinforce and enrich that connection is invaluable.
We don’t just allow our kids to catch animals; we also engage them in conversations about what they find. Every evening, they eagerly rush outside for toad hunts. My partner leads them into the yard, where they meticulously search for toads and tree frogs, carefully catching and identifying them. This is how we discovered that some gray tree frogs are genetically identical, yet one possesses double chromosomes, making them distinct. On a good day, they can differentiate between Southern toads and Fowler’s toads. They understand what these amphibians eat and know that during dry spells, the critters are likely hiding in their burrows, making for a more challenging hunt.
Their adventures go beyond mere capture; they’re learning in the process. On some summer evenings, they might discover half a dozen toads. They often place a few in a plastic tank filled with water, allowing them to observe, sketch, and note their behavior before returning them to the wild.
We even take the “controversial” step of allowing them to catch tadpoles, armed with their designated nets. We know the best spots in town for finding bullfrog spawn. While I relax under a tree with our dog, the kids leap over rocks like goats, getting muddy as they catch tadpoles and compare their stages of development. “Mine has legs!” “Look how long mine’s tail is!” If the tadpole hunt turns out to be a bust, they switch gears and go after minnows or water striders.
Though they usually only manage to catch salamanders on trips to the mountains, once we miraculously found one in our yard’s compost pile. These experiences foster a respect for healthy ecosystems, encouraging teamwork as they share nets, tips, and their findings. They return home muddy and exhausted, embodying everything a parent could hope for.
Their fascination with creepy-crawlies is genuine. While they find roaches (or as they call them, palmetto bugs) unappealing, they have a soft spot for spiders, especially the larger ones. They eagerly point out enormous millipedes during our evening strolls by the river. I like to think that by encouraging them to catch toads and worms (not just worm snakes, but plain old worms), we are nurturing their appreciation for nature, including the traditionally less-loved creatures.
Of course, I can already hear the objections from animal rights advocates arguing that these creatures have the right to live free from interference. They might wonder why we can’t just observe from a distance. But it’s simply not the same. Children need to feel the texture of a tadpole’s slime, a toad’s bumpy skin, the slippery flick of a minnow, and the tiny nip from an anole. None of these animals are being mistreated or subjected to harm; my 3-year-old can handle a lizard without causing it to drop its tail. These are essential life skills.
Let’s be clear: kids need nature, and they require hands-on experiences to truly understand its wonders. They might not grasp the beauty of Thoreau’s pond or wander in awe through a majestic forest. Instead, they see rocks as a playground, trees as climbing challenges, and the creatures living there — toads, frogs, worm snakes, salamanders, and tadpoles — as objects of admiration and exploration.
So here’s to the adventures, from toad hunts to digging for worms. Let the kids get dirty and discover the world around them. And if you’re interested in further expanding your family, check out this at-home insemination kit for more information; it’s a fantastic resource. You can also find valuable insights on fertility and insemination at WebMD.
In summary, children thrive when they engage with nature, and that includes the often-overlooked creepy-crawlies. By allowing them to catch and study various creatures, we foster a deep connection with the environment and equip them with valuable knowledge and skills they will carry with them throughout life.
Keyphrase: Kids need nature
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