Critters For Playmates

Most of my sons' playmates can fit in their hands...

Jeshurun with a green-eyed dragonfly a few nights ago

Red Weaver ants.  I kid you not, he let's them crawl on him sometimes.  Other times, he smashes them to bits.  They are about 3/4 of a inch long and bite like crazy.  I'd rather he'd kill every one he sees.  Since we have several thousand in our yard, he wouldn't be doing much to damage the local population, just preserving my sanity.

Huy, on the other hand, loves snails.  Snails are slow, easy to catch and definitely not a threat.  It is funny how each boy flocks to insects of a similar personality...hmmm...

Run and the beloved "spiky bugs" as they have been informally called.  They play with these daily and let them crawl all over them.

The "spiky bug" - looks more like a weird elephant to me.

Just kidding.  Though, if they could find a way to tie up their pinchers and tail, they'd play with these guys, too!

Can you find the toad?  Right under the rake!  He's huge!  Toads and frogs are always hiding out in my watering cans, under leaves and in our sneakers!  I literally cannot count how many of these guys the boys have caught and held, made a home for, or put in the basket on their bikes for a ride around the yard.  Eeew!



What a weird one.  The beetle.  And, the boy, too!

If I had pictures of all the giant millipedes, the moths, butterflies, praying mantises, spiders, beetles, lizards, salamanders, crickets, and grasshoppers that they have played with over the 11 months here in our house in the country, this page would take forever to load and you surely would get bored eventually.

Even though I'm often weirded out by their choice of play, it is fun to have a place that never ceases to amaze or entertain them, right outside the front door!  Thank you, Jesus, creating a world so full of life!

What fascinates your child?  Do they have a healthy obsession with something?  Something that makes them want to learn everything there is to know about it?  Feel free to share in the comments below...