If you’re looking for some fun outdoor activities for kiddos young and not-so-young, Creation Care is sending along a handful of ideas this week. Our first fun adventure is the miraculous dragonfly!
As you’ve probably noticed in your front and backyard, dragonflies find hot days to be the best time to dance about in the sunlight. They have surely noticed you through their large, globular eyes, but have you ever stopped to look at them? Or tried looking a dragonfly in the eye?
The dragonfly eye is one of God’s truly amazing creations. They can see both ultraviolet and polarized light and their color perception far exceeds what the human eye can see. Just imagine what they see when looking at a rainbow.
If the kiddos want to have some fun outdoors, send them outside to try to catch a dragonfly. Since dragonflies don’t perceive the color white very well, any white net can catch one.
You just have to be patient, as their circular flying pattern will eventually bring them back to the spot you first saw them in.
You can kindly catch a dragonfly after netting him, by very gently clasping one set of wings in what’s called the scissor clasp – by holding your forefinger and middle finger on its wings like a very gentle pair of scissors. This usually stuns them for a bit, and they will hang out on your forefinger a while before flying off. Texas Parks and Wildlife – DFW Urban Wildlife – offers some great tutorials on dragonfly watching and capturing on their Facebook Page. They also offer this free brochure on Texas dragonfly watching:
If you’re uncomfortable catching a dragonfly, try looking for wings that they lose during some of their acrobatic feats. You’d be surprised how many dragonfly wings you can find on the ground when you’re looking for them.
You can also make your own dragonflies inside with paper, markers, crepe paper and scissors. But we’ll leave that creation to your imagination!
Get outside and have fun! And remember to honor God’s beautiful planet and its miraculous creatures along the way.
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