Tadpole Hunting

Our sweet friend Harriet informed us that the ditch beside her mailbox had tiny tadpoles. The boys and I were off: off on an adventure, off to hunt and gather, off to have a great afternoon...

People probably assume that I am not adventurous or don't like to get dirty. I like to believe I put that misconception behind me years ago when I become a 5th grade teacher. While pink is my favorite color and I do love a good manicure, I don't mind a fun adventure. I realized after having Thomas that while I love dance and all things that glitter; my boys love being outside, discovering new things, and getting dirty. Being adventurous is just what we do at the Gladden House.

Our tadpole adventure was perfect. The boys were able to sit on the rocks and sift through the water. We took buckets, shovels, a sifter, anything that we thought would help us catch a tadpole. We caught hundreds of babies and around 10 that we could hold. Hold a tadpole??? Yes, you have to be very gentle. Morris and Thomas both loved putting them in their hands and feeling their slimy exterior.

The boys talked so much about tadpole hunting that we decided to go a second day. This time Jared loaded up and went with us. He loved watching the boys discover new things. We took our second round of tadpole up to Miller's house. The boys played with the tadpoles a little too rough. Many of them were not swimming after the boys held them. Morris and Miller couldn't understand what happened? We thought it was best to explain that the tadpoles were "sleeping". Oh well, not every tadpole survived, but a great time was had by all our boys!