Saturday in the Garden

My daughter discovered a snail in the garden today. We rarely get snails here, it's dry. At first the snail was tucked away tightly in its shell and my daughter kept exclaiming it was dead. I told her to get it some lettuce and wait. She did. After quite some time, she ran inside telling me it was finally out. The little snail moved all over her hand and the piece of lettuce. She was fascinated for hours.

I remember loving snails as a child. My Grandmother's garden had lots of them and I'd collect easily 10 or more and have them crawl all over my hands. My daugher asked loads of questions about the snail. She has put it in a container with food to keep overnight and will release it in the morning. I'm glad I could encourage her to hold this creature and share in her joy of discovery today.

If a child is to keep alive his inborn sense of wonder, he needs the companionship of at least one adult who can share it, rediscovering with him the joy, excitement and mystery of the world we live in.     Rachel Carsen