Caterpillar

Today was a beautiful day: not too hot, not too breezy, perfect for spending several hours outside. While I was pulling weeds and Caleb was helping, we stopped for about fifteen or twenty minutes to admire a caterpillar. He still wasn't thrilled about holding a bug himself, but loved that I would. He also thought the inch-worm way of moving was one of the most funny things he'd ever seen. It made such a big impression on him that he told Eric about the "tiny green caterpillar" when he got home from work.

This is precisely why I love having this time with my little boy. I love introducing him to the nature, to science, to the world in which we live.

Caleb Loves Bugs

Which is wonderful, I think, for a two and a half-year-old boy. He's fascinated by all the bugs we come across. Now, for a mommy that is generally really creeped out by those creepy-crawlies, it's been a bit of a challenge. I'm trying to overcome my squeamish reaction, so I can teach him better, and show him not to be afraid of exploring the world around him. I can hold ladybugs and rolly-polies, but that's about it. Worms and earwigs are still way too much for me to handle; so we just observe them from where we sit, or stand, in my case.

The other night when leaving a restaurant after dinner, I found a ladybug on the car door while Eric was buckling Caleb into his car seat. So I put it in my palm, and showed Caleb. He was so thrilled! "Look! A bug! So tiny!" Though he refused to hold it himself, I love the fascination his face expresses.

And yesterday while weeding our one finished planter in the back yard, Caleb found the bees in the salvia. I love that he's not afraid of them (yet?), and we can talk about pollination while observing it first hand. (I also love that after watching them for about ten minutes, he decided to run around the back yard buzzing like a little bee, too.)

My little scientist... I can't wait to see what we explore next.