“It’s a snake!” exclaimed Leo, his eyes wide with excitement as he held the squirming, dirt-covered creature in his hands.
“No, it’s a worm,” I replied, barely glancing away from my laptop.
“No, it’s a worm snake!” he insisted cheerfully. Apparently, worm snakes are a real thing, and my 7-year-old had inadvertently dug one up to examine.
This behavior is quite common. When my children are outdoors, they’re on a mission to capture small creatures, predominantly reptiles. No Carolina anole stands a chance in our yard. In fact, they’ve spent so much time pursuing these lizards that we’ve given them names: the large, dark one perched on the trash can and his smaller, feisty counterpart. There’s also the striped skink hiding beneath the porch column and the enormous brown skink that seems to have crawled out of my nightmares to take up residency beneath some lumber. While some might view this as a savage pastime, I actively encourage my children by providing them with nets and visitor tanks to gently interact with wildlife.
Children need nature, and part of that connection involves engaging with the creepy-crawlies and slow-moving creatures — in essence, the most fascinating elements of the natural world.
As researchers Peter Kahn Jr. and Stephen Kellert highlight in their book Children and Nature: Psychological, Sociocultural, and Evolutionary Investigations, the natural environment was the primary setting for children’s development before modern influences took over. They demonstrate that interactions with animals foster a child’s care for the non-sentient aspects of nature. Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods, asserts that kids’ physical contact and intimacy with nature are dwindling, making it essential for us to find ways to strengthen that bond.
Our family’s approach goes beyond simply letting the kids catch animals; we also engage in discussions about them. Every evening, they scramble outside for toad hunts. My partner leads them into the yard, where they search for toads and tree frogs, carefully catching and identifying their finds. That’s how we discovered that certain gray tree frog species are genetically identical but have different chromosome counts, rendering them distinct. My children can differentiate between Southern and Fowler’s toads on a good day. They know what these amphibians eat and where they shelter when it’s dry.
Their adventures aren’t solely about catching creatures; they’re also about learning. On summer evenings, it’s not uncommon for them to find several toads. They might place a few in a plastic tank filled with water to observe, sketch, and record their behavior before releasing them back into the wild.
We also take the somewhat controversial step of allowing them to collect tadpoles. Equipped with designated tadpole nets, we visit the best spots in town to find bullfrog spawn. I often settle beneath a tree with our dog while they leap over rocks, getting muddy and wet as they catch tadpoles and compare their developmental stages: “Mine has legs!” “Look at the length of mine’s tail!” If the tadpole search proves fruitless, they turn to catching minnows or water striders.
Catching salamanders typically requires a trip to the mountains, though we surprisingly once found one in our backyard’s hummus-like soil. These experiences cultivate respect for healthy ecosystems while immersing them in nature. They support one another, share nets, and exchange tips, returning home muddy and exhausted — an ideal scenario for any parent.
Their affection for creepy-crawlies is genuine. Although cockroaches (or palmetto bugs, as we call them) may elicit squeals of disgust, they’re fascinated by spiders and excitedly point out large millipedes during our evening strolls by the river. I like to think that encouraging them to catch toads and worms (not just worm snakes, but regular worms too) has expanded their love for nature, even extending to the traditionally unappealing creatures.
While some may criticize our approach, arguing that animals deserve to live without interference, I believe that direct interaction is vital for children. You can’t replicate the experience of feeling a tadpole’s slime or a toad’s bumps from a distance. My three-year-old knows how to handle a lizard without causing it distress. This connection is an essential life skill.
In conclusion, children require nature in a way that resonates with them. They may not appreciate Thoreau’s pond or experience awe in a cathedral of trees, but they see rocks as a playground, trees as climbing opportunities, and everything that inhabits those spaces — from toads to frogs, worm snakes, and salamanders — as subjects of admiration.
So here’s to adventures, from toad hunts to digging for worms. Let the kids get dirty and explore! For more on home insemination and related topics, check out our other blog posts like this one.
Summary:
Kids thrive when they engage with nature, especially through hands-on experiences with small creatures. Encouraging children to interact with wildlife strengthens their connection to the natural world, fosters curiosity, and teaches them respect for ecosystems. Through adventures like toad hunts and tadpole collecting, children learn valuable lessons while having fun outdoors.