A Natural Parents Toolbox: Nature Connection: Scary or cute?

I don't know about you but there are just some things in nature that just freak me out! I am sure we all have that one thing (maybe more) that just gives us the heebey jeebeys outside. The problem is that we don't want to pass that "fear" over to our children, so this activity is as much for you as it is for them. So lets take something that freaks a lot of people out, spiders.

Step one: Find out why you (or your child) is freaked out by spiders. If it is not some deep seeded physiological issue that you may need years to sort out then grab a couple of spider books and read up! Knowledge is power, the more you know about something the less scary it is. Go to your local library and stock up on children's books about spiders. I love the fun way that children's books lay out information, so they are always my first research material.

Step Two: If the thing you are "scared" of does have some dangerous qualities (black widows and brown recluse for example), then make sure you know the steps to avoid or prevent encountering those. You will also realize that, in most cases, if your cautious it is likely that no harm will come to you. Being cautious doesn't mean stop exploring, just do it with more awareness.

NOW! On to the point of this activity that we involve our child in. You want your child to describe all of the things that make the spider pretty. Try your best to work with your child to come up with ways that what ever it is is pretty.

"Tiny things are so cute"

"They make amazing webs"

"They eat the bugs that bite us"

When you run out of things google something along the lines of "Cute spider" hit images and you will learn to see the pretty side!