We went pond dipping this past weekend, in Wimbledon Common. We didn't find the large pond everyone raves about, BUT, we 
found a nice sized smaller one that was a lovely hike on the way. Our mission was to collect tadpoles. Something our kiddo's have never done, so this experience was also a real treat. I couldn't help but think back on my own childhood, when I stayed with my Grandparents in Slidell, Louisiana. The ditches are extremely deep in Louisiana to prevent flooding (outside of hurricane conditions, of course), so they are almost like mini shallow streams, just brimming with tadpoles. I spent many an hour down in those ditches near my grandparents house with a paper cup catching tadpoles. Back in the days when I seemed to have hours to amuse myself with such things. I have to remember this with my own children, who need that time to simply linger and marvel at nature. I need to make my mantra that 'Sitting on the Dock of the Bay' song...remember that one? It's a song about basically just sitting and doing absolutely nothing but watching the flow of the tide. I need to sing that song in my head when I'm on adventures with my children. I tend to find myself in auto-pilot, going through a checklist: 1) pack wellies, glass jars, nets, rainslicks, snacks, water, etc. 2) hike to pond 3) catch tadpoles 4) look up how to care for tadpoles 
(should have been 1st!)....you see what I mean? I need to sing the 'nothingness' song and become one with my children's adventures. No checklists, no worries, just me, my children, my hubby, and lots of time to kick back and enjoy the awe of nature. Of the experience.
We are now the proud parents of 30 little tadpoles. Thankfully, we had found a small abandoned acquarium in a skip (rubbish) a few days earlier. It's an absolute Perfect little home! We're using fresh pond water, and feeding the little critters boiled lettuce bits. (I notice yesterday that my son decided to give them some pretty purple flowers to decorate their new home). We shall watch them grow in to adorable little frogs then set them loose in the local pond. It will bring an even closer appreciation for nature to my kiddo's, and hopefully I will get closer to my mantra song of the ebb and flow by watching these cute little frogs grow.
found a nice sized smaller one that was a lovely hike on the way. Our mission was to collect tadpoles. Something our kiddo's have never done, so this experience was also a real treat. I couldn't help but think back on my own childhood, when I stayed with my Grandparents in Slidell, Louisiana. The ditches are extremely deep in Louisiana to prevent flooding (outside of hurricane conditions, of course), so they are almost like mini shallow streams, just brimming with tadpoles. I spent many an hour down in those ditches near my grandparents house with a paper cup catching tadpoles. Back in the days when I seemed to have hours to amuse myself with such things. I have to remember this with my own children, who need that time to simply linger and marvel at nature. I need to make my mantra that 'Sitting on the Dock of the Bay' song...remember that one? It's a song about basically just sitting and doing absolutely nothing but watching the flow of the tide. I need to sing that song in my head when I'm on adventures with my children. I tend to find myself in auto-pilot, going through a checklist: 1) pack wellies, glass jars, nets, rainslicks, snacks, water, etc. 2) hike to pond 3) catch tadpoles 4) look up how to care for tadpoles 
(should have been 1st!)....you see what I mean? I need to sing the 'nothingness' song and become one with my children's adventures. No checklists, no worries, just me, my children, my hubby, and lots of time to kick back and enjoy the awe of nature. Of the experience.We are now the proud parents of 30 little tadpoles. Thankfully, we had found a small abandoned acquarium in a skip (rubbish) a few days earlier. It's an absolute Perfect little home! We're using fresh pond water, and feeding the little critters boiled lettuce bits. (I notice yesterday that my son decided to give them some pretty purple flowers to decorate their new home). We shall watch them grow in to adorable little frogs then set them loose in the local pond. It will bring an even closer appreciation for nature to my kiddo's, and hopefully I will get closer to my mantra song of the ebb and flow by watching these cute little frogs grow.
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