What a great week for a nighttime adventure with your children!
It’s summer, school is fast approaching and we want to make the MOST of this unstructured time still available in our calendar.
Special memories are made by changing things up a bit and doing the unexpected!
If you have a little one who is very anxious about the dark, nighttime, anything changing….you’ll have to play that by ear. However, the reality is that knowledge of something you’re uncomfortable with can help allay fears.
Here we go!
On an evening with some moonlight, head outside and see who and what you meet.
Where we live, we are privileged to share our area with bats. When my children were born, the Little Brown Bat and others were prevalent here. Sadly, they have diminished in number by 90% due to White Nose Syndrome over the last 20 years.
You might be lucky enough to see bats on your evening adventure.
Can you learn about them before? Check out Stellaluna on Weave Sunshine’s August picture booklist to learn a bit about them beforehand (though, it likely won’t be the kind you have near you.)
Maybe you’ll hear crickets…
Can you learn a bit about them like how they make music by rubbing their wings together?
They chirp their song to attract other nearby crickets.
The higher the temperature, it’s believed the higher the rate they chirp.
Their ears are on their front legs’ knees!
Can you think of any famous crickets?
How about from The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi or A Cricket in Time Square?
Can you hear coyotes howling?
No need to be alarmed…this is an opportunity for you to learn about them and teach your children to do the same.
They howl to communicate with their family and establish territory outside of the fam.
Did you know that coyotes have 1 partner for life and parent together?
They are the most vocal wild mammal in North America, making 11 different sounds.
It is extremely rare for one to attack a human.
They are omnivores, eating mainly fallen fruit, ripe berries, veggies, rodents and birds.
What do you see up in the sky?
How about the moon and stars?
Can you look for the patterns that we call constellations?
Or—just find your own picture in the stars, describe it to each other to see if they can see it too!
Can you see the man in the moon?
What phase is the moon in?
Stargazing weaves magic into the night.
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This along with connecting with the animals, insects, (even plants that flower only at night) by learning about and being immersed in them can temper fears.
It is a powerful way to begin teaching our little ones how wonderful this world is.
It teaches them how everyone and thing has magic and great purpose in their uniqueness and the expression of that.
If our children grow up knowing this truth, there is a greater chance they’ll bravely embody it and model that for other souls to do the same.
The more we know about, are connected to and spend time in nature and with those not exactly like us, the more we develop a relationship with them... the more we care.
The more likely we are to stand up for their rights and do our part in protecting and honoring all life…..human, plant, animal, insect, the earth and beyond.
I think we’d all agree that we could use a LOT more of that in the world right now.