Just as I was establishing a nice rhythm to our day and week, we decided to add more outings and trips to local spots of interest. Today we had a satisfying hike on the path along Mill Creek. Their enthusiasm for all things natural is unquenchable. We spent some time watching Daddy Longlegs climb about in the grass—Charlie was unhappy to see one climb up on his leg; we found nuts and seeds and seed pods of all kinds—walnuts, buckeyes, and Osage Orange—otherwise known as hedge apples; trees with thorns—Honeylocust; one caterpillar making its way across the path; birds that hopped from bush to bush covered with juicy red berries; and leaf butterflies hiding in the fallen autumn leaves. The kids are learning that the trees and animals are preparing for winter and how fortunate we are to watch it all happen.
In the afternoon I learned that if you give a child an empty mason jar, she will fill it. Makenna caught a grass hopper and they spent the afternoon studying and feeding it. It spent the afternoon eating and excreting (I’m quite disgusted and disturbed to see how much waste this little guy emits!). They determined, from our handy Handbook of Nature Study, what type of grass hopper it is. They read that males sing to attract females, or just because they’re happy, so I promised to let them keep him through the night to see if he sings us a song. It turns out that in his new glass habitat, although carefully and thoughtfully arranged, he is neither looking for a mate nor happy—or quite possibly he is a she. In any case, he/she is scheduled to be re-released into the wild in the morning (provided he makes it through the night).
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