Bug Day

Our local conservation center had a bug event this evening, and it was a ton of fun! Littlebit literally got about 30 hours of "school" in by having her first ever spelling lesson, combined with butterfly identification, handwriting, and exercises in concentration (it was really loud in there). And that was just the butterfly station! *chuckle* ("school" time estimated by how long it would take to cover all of that in a public school setting, I am so not letting that highly intense hour of learning be counted as anything less than an entire week's worth of public school)

There were also games like the flea leap, the dung beetle ball roll, and the flower pollinator, as well as arts & crafts, edible bugs (yum!) and even Luna Moth larvae to take home and raise into beautiful flying insects. There was a photo slide show set to music, and every game had a small prize ranging from insect rings to temporary tattoos. At the end of the event, both girls got a certificate declaring them junior entomologists, and their choice of a little insect discovery kit or buggy bedroom decor. They both picked the same discovery kit, so when we open them, it will be time to get out the permanent markers. *smile*

Ladybug had a ton of fun digging for bugs "adult-style" with a screwdriver and a hammer towards the end of the evening, breaking apart decomposing logs in search of the better hidden creatures of the bunch.

The good: Despite the event being made for younger kids, Ladybug still had a lot of fun, and participated in quite a few games.

The bad: It was very loud and crowded, and there was no place to hide.

The ugly: A roving band of teenagers with clicker prizes from the flea leap who were constantly clicking, driving me and likely most of the other parents completely up the wall. I was about to feed a clicker to someone via their sinus cavity if I heard another danged snap-click-clack by the time we left.

The amazing: Littlebit not only spelled and wrote her first unknown words today (including an introduction to the elusive silent e), but one of her first spelled words was "alfalfa"! Three syllables on the first lesson. Woohoo! And she stuck with that activity for about an hour, seeing it through to the very end.