Have you got bugs? We do. Yesterday my daughter brought home a whole package of snails from her grandmother’s house, all delicately wrapped in a tulip petal. The package was lovely, the snails multicolored and varied. A sign of spring, to be sure.
I think that our yard has one of the thickest snail populations in our neighborhood, mostly due to my daughter’s inclination for gathering neighborhood snails and placing them in our flower and vegetable gardens. To focus her interest a bit and create a place where she can observe the snails for a while without freeing them into my lettuce, we now have a terrarium in our home.
The terrarium is an accessory that is wonderful to have in the home, especially in a home inhabited by a preschooler. Make a terrarium using a clear plastic container poked with small holes, an old ten gallon fish tank, or a fancy plant container with a lid. Add some soil at the bottom and moisten it slightly. Try not to get over-enthusiastic or you’ll have a mud-arium. Bring a few plants in from outside. Dandelions are just fine. If you feel inspired, you can create a beautiful terrarium with inexpensive plants from the garden center. A few two dollar house plants will work very well.
Then add the animals. Gently collect them from outdoors using a leaf or a damp hand. If you are collecting for a while, an old margarine container works well as a collection container, since it’s easy for small hands to access. Place snails, slugs, and other animals in the container for no more than a day or two. Keep a magnifying glass next to the terrarium so that your child can take a look at the animals whenever he pleases.
Prepare your preschooler for the fact that the animals will go outdoors again. This can be hard, but place the animals in a place where you might be able to see them again. This might be under a special fern or hosta plant where it is damp and cool. Preferably it is not in your vegetable garden!
Does your child love animals? Do you ever bring them indoors?
(Image courtesy of elliecrane at stock exchange)