As the kids get older, it's sometimes really fun to look back at past years of this blog and see how they have experienced the same activity in a different way than they previously did. One of these opportunities presented itself over the past couple of weeks as we decided to raise butterflies again this year.
Last year was the first year we ever had raised butterflies with the kids and they pretty much loved it. If you need a refresher, feel free to check out the blog post. This year though, we didn't really know what to expect. After all, the kids were a year older. Would they still have the same sense of wonderment at the life cycle of a butterfly? In case you're wondering, the answer was Yes.
Early on in the process of raising butterflies this year, we honestly weren't certain that the kids would be as interested as they were previously. For example, last year, the two of them would spend ample amounts of time sitting in front of a small cup containing our caterpillars watching them crawl and explore their surroundings. This year though, that stage was not as exciting for them. In fact, I would bet that Bethany and I spent more time watching the caterpillars than the two kids did. However, once the caterpillars formed their chrysalises, that changed. Both Ellie and Ethan would check multiple times a day to make sure they weren't going to miss the caterpillars emerge. When the day finally came, both kids were right there to see the process unfold. Over the next week, it wasn't uncommon to see the kids (especially Ellie) sitting in front of the habitat watching the butterflies flutter around.
Last night marked a big moment in our time of raising butterflies as we released them into the wild. This is always a difficult venture. It's not because of any emotional connection that was formed though. Instead it has to do with the fact that it's nearly impossible to get the butterflies to fly out of the habitat they have become accustomed to. Eventually, I resorted to holding a paper towel near each butterfly and removing it from the habitat once they crawled onto it. In fact, it was during one of those towel removal processes that Ellie and Ethan had the most fun with the butterflies.
Ellie bravely worked up the courage to ask if she could hold a butterfly. As there was really no reason to say no, Bethany and I then began coaching her through the process of gently placing her hand next to the butterfly and allowing it to crawl onto her. Of course, once Ethan saw his sister holding a butterfly, he wanted a chance to participate as well. By the time all of the butterflies had left the porch, each of us had gotten the opportunity to hold one.
Well, I need to correct myself. Almost all of the butterflies moved on. There were two that were very, very engaged in the process of making more butterflies that really weren't interested in moving to a new location. I'm sure you can guess how much fun that conversation was to have with our very curious six-year-old.
#DaddyWrite
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