A Worm-hole
Nature and Worms
How about encouraging a budding entomologist?
When I was a little girl, my dad and I would take walks around the block. After a rain, one day, I saw some worms on the sidewalk, and I screamed. I was afraid of these squirmy things keeping me from walking on the sidewalk. My father looked at me, took my hand, and ushered me to the grass next to the sidewalk. He said, "Wait here." He walked over, and to my horror, he picked up one of these squirmy vermin. The worm wrapped itself around dads finger as he showed it to me. "Princess, this is a worm. They won't hurt you. I recoiled from his hand. Then dad petted the worm. “Touch it,” he said. “It won’t hurt you. He transferred the worm to his hand and held it out to me. I shook my head. No way I was going to touch this thing.
Dad didn't force me to touch it. Instead, he stroked it in his hand and told me, "Worms are essential, and they take care of our garden.
I looked at him with wide eyes. “They take care of our garden? How?”
He chuckled and said, “They burrow in the soil and make it easier for the plants to grow because the soil is loose. Let's go home and check out our tomato plants."
We walked back to the house. My father and I made sure we did not step on any of the worms on the sidewalk. He took his trowel to the soil around our tomato plants. "See how many worms are here?" I tried to count them, but dad said, "They are important for our garden. Don't be afraid of them. They won’t hurt you. They will make sure we have big red tomatoes to eat.”
I learned my lesson. The next day, after it rained, I went out and picked up all the worms from the sidewalk, put them in my pocket, and brought them back to my dad.
"I saved them," I said, stuck my hand in my pocket, and pulled out a handful of worms. My father couldn't stop laughing. "So what do you want to do with them?" he asked. "Let's put them in the garden so our tomatoes grow well."
We did that.
Sisters learning the art of appreciating nature.
As grandparents, we can introduce nature to our grandchildren even if everyone lives in the city or suburbs. It is as simple as introducing them to worms. You can teach your grandchildren not to fear or hurt them and explain why they are essential to the environment. Unlike when I was a child, as a grandparent, you can join your grandchild to search online about worms and their value and explore what worms add to the environment.
What was the first bug you were introduced to when you were little? Were you taught not to fear it? A fascination for bugs and worms introduces your grandchildren to entomology, studying bugs. Who knows, they may want to learn more. You, as grandparents, can be the catalyst for your grandchildren's future.
