Things That Make Me Happy # 27 -- Ladybugs

Strolling around the Internet one day, I came across a blog post entitled "100 Things That Make Me Happy". What a great idea, I thought as I scanned the list, so Fridays are now dedicated to things that make me happy!

Things That Make Me Happy!

# 27 Ladybugs

We went to the playground today and the boys found a small colony of ladybugs. The boys were fascinated by these little creatures and it was a lot of fun to watch them interact with them, wonder about them, and make plans for them. (sorry there are no pictures, I left my camera at home)  Well, there was one little critter who had lost most of his wings and, try as he might, he couldn't fly away. That didn't stop him from crawling all over Isaac, though.  He even ended up in Isaac's hair after a brief ride on the swings that Isaac thought that the little guy might enjoy -- he couldn't fly away, so what choice did he have? Anyway, I was amazed with how long the ladybugs held their attention.

I know that ladybugs are supposed to be good luck and that they are good for your garden, but I had no idea what kinds of things they eat or what else they might need to live -- which would be important if we wanted to keep them as they boys suggested.  So when we got home (ladybug free, I should add), I looked it up and shared my findings with the boys. I now know more about ladybugs that I ever thought that I would! Did you know that ladybugs sometimes play dead when they think that they are in danger -- that explains some things from this afternoon--, or that their spots have nothing to do with how old they are as is commonly thought, or that their spots fad with age, or that they secrete a foul smelling liquid so that predators will think twice about eating them ... I could go on with all my new found knowledge, but I'll let you go out and make the discovery yourself.

Our adventure this afternoon also reminded me of a conversation I had at a recent homeschool gathering. An older gentleman who had homeschooled his children and was now watching his daughter homeschool her children, asked me what I liked best about homeschooling. I gave him my standard, off the top of my head answer:  being able to follow my own schedule, more time with my kids, bla bla bla. All true, but after thinking about it for a bit, I remembered one of my main hopes was that we would learn things together. I really want to explore the world with my kids, to make the journey together and learn alongside of them as opposed to teaching them everything that I know -- which wouldn't take very long. The ladybugs reminded me that it's okay to say "I don't know", and of the fun of learning something new and being able to share that experience with my children.

Happy Friday!