My Explorer’s Notebook - Part 2: The Yard

When I get up in the morning and I see the sun through the window, I like it because I know that I will be able to continue my exploration of the yard.

I’m all set: a magnifying glass, a small plastic jar with holes in the lid (to observe insects I catch sometimes), a stick, and my nature explorer's notebook.

I have several “spots” in the yard. For instance, there is one area where I often find ladybugs. I like ladybugs. I like to count the little dots on their backs. The other day, I found a really nice one. It stayed on my arm, crawling up and down, and that tickled! I went inside and I wanted to keep it. But you know what happened? It took out its two little wings and flew away. It made me cry that my new friend didn't want to stay with me. But my mommy explained to me that bugs need to be outside, because that's where they are happy. I thought about what she said, and I think I kind of understood. So I went back to the yard to watch ants. They usually gather under a big stone that I lift up a bit to look at them. There's something really weird about ants: they are very small but they can carry things bigger than themselves!

Another area I like in my yard is where there are lots of clovers in the grass. When I'm tired of exploring, I lie on my belly and look for four-leaf clovers. They are very hard to find, like a treasure. But one day I found one! Mommy was so happy! She said, "Ptit Bunny, your patience has paid off," and she put the clover in a book to keep it. She said that once dry, we could stick it in my notebook.

There are snails, too. I find them funny. When I bring a twig close to their antennae, they hide them, and sometimes they go into their shells. When I find one on the deck, I put it back in the grass as mommy says they feel better there.

I write about all my discoveries in my nature explorer's notebook. And I make beautiful drawings in order to explain things better.

There's so much more to say, but mommy is calling me. I need to go and clean up my room. Oops, I had left everything lying around!