Children's Corner

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* Hunting Backyard Critters

About the Author

Jean A. Sturgill

Jean is a resident of North Carolina. She graduated from Meredith College with a BA in Art. After college, she worked her way up to manager in a company that specializes in slide presentations and brochures. She left this company to marry in 1988.

After the children were born, she taught, and later served as Director of Girls in Action at a local church. She also served as the GA Director in the Mt. Zion Association for 1 year.

Jean and her husband have home schooled for eight years. They started when their oldest son was just 3. They profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, and have a strong desire to witness to children through the family's new web site. As part of their home school curriculum, the children are directly responsible for much of the content and ideas of Drew's Animals.com. In her spare time, Jean enjoys photography, painting, and anything to do with computers.

Reflections

"Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?"
-Matthew 6:26 KJV

"Hunting" Backyard Critters

Mallard Duck and Ducklings by Drew There are many reasons why we would want to encourage our children to study wildlife, and teach them how to provide a place for it. Personally, I think you can really see God's love for us in nature.

Bringing wildlife closer to your children is a great way for them to observe it. Having them draw it gives them a chance to observe the details. One way to get your children to draw wildlife is to tell them they are going to help prepare for a "hunting" expedition or mini safari. On this backyard safari, they can draw the animals they find. This will be their way of showing everything they have seen.

Birds and Squirrels and...

Have the children start preparing the "hunting" ground a week in advance, especially if animals are not frequenting your yard or patio. They can put out the food and water daily. When the animals start to visit regularly, schedule the safari.

The Basics

Bread (save your stale bread for this)
Bird Seed [black oil sunflower seeds appeal to just about all birds and squirrels]
Dried Corn [dried corn on the cob hung from a tree provides great entertainment]
Oranges
Peanut Butter [rub on pine cones or press into a hole in a log]
Suet (some grocery store meat departments will give you this for free - but in hot weather it smells) [you can buy suet cakes or dough from wild bird supply stores]
Flower Pot Saucer (or other container for water source)

The Trip

Have the children dress for the occasion (green or brown clothes to camouflage them).
Arm them with pencils, crayons, paper, and paint.
Explain to them they will have to be still or they will scare the critters.
Encourage them to look for the differences in the birds they see: color, shape of bill, food they eat, and size.
Closely observe the squirrels. We had one without an ear.

Tiny Critters

Other places to search for critters include: under rocks, or wood. If you have flower beds, consider rolling back the wood edging, and taking a look. The rocks that mark your favorite plants are another place to start. Drew, our youngest son, loves to go on "archaeological digs". He digs in an old mulch pile, a pile of dirt, a small hole in our yard (where an old stump use to be), and my garden (when I let him). Although we have explained to him that finding dinosaur bones is probably not going to happen, he still enjoys the dig. He has found earthworms, ants, and other creatures.

Tiny Critters - No Backyard Needed

Patio gardens can attract many animals. Flowers can be used to attract bees, butterflies, and other insects. Hummingbirds can also be attracted with flowers or hummingbird feeders. Biological supply stores sell praying mantis egg casings, and butterfly habitats.

Drawings, Drawings, Everywhere!

Now what? Several things can be done with those drawings. You can display them. You can bind them in a book, frame them, give them away, or share them online for others to see. If you are interested in sharing them online, and you have a scanner or digital camera, . . . send them to WildlifeGardens.net.

You can also send them to Drew's Animals.com. (We have other fun things to do too.) We will put selected artwork on our YOUR ART page. We will select original, appropriate artwork, done by children. We will select as many as we can depending on response. For more information visit us at DrewsAnimals.com.

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