Backyard Discoveries

Spring is a great time for kids to explore outdoors. The flowers are blooming, the bees are buzzing, the insects are crawling, the seeds are sprouting - so much for a child to discover.

Last evening, my children were outside watering the newly planted vegetable garden (yeah! MY seeds are sprouting!) and discovered all kinds of things along the way. A bumblebee with a damaged wing, a roly-poly exoskeleton and a robin's egg were the special finds that made it back into the house. I even made my own discoveries... Last night, I learned that a roly-poly is not an insect (I now know that its 14 legs means it doesn't qualify for insect status - it is an arthropod). This morning, I learned that the injured/dead bumblebee was still injured, but apparently not dead! He went to school anyway to join a bunch of eager 1st graders just completing their insect segment in science. Hopefully, he's still in his container!

What special wonders do you have in your backyard? My advice to kids for finding cool stuff - don't forget to crane your neck up high and crouch down low to find all the creatures living in your backyard.