catchingfireflies
Originally uploaded by Aunt Owwee
How to:
1. Get a jar with a lid.
2. Get a hammer and a nail.
3. Pound at least 7 holes in the lid.
4. Pull up some grass.
5. Stuff grass in jar.
6. Wait for twilight.
**The secret to reaping a bumper crop of fireflies is starting the hunt at twilight. (Also must note, we in the more northern states have a lingering twilight, which aids in the capture rate.) Twilight is dark enough so that one can see the flare of the firefly, but light enough so that one can follow the insect's path once the flare goes off.**
7. A soft, cupping movement of the hand is advised.
8. Gently gather the insect in.
9. Open the jar and quickly slip in the firefly.
10. Repeat.
11. After first firefly captured, must add a thump to the top of the jar before adding more bugs.
After the catch has been duly oohed and aahed over, open jar and let the fireflies free.
Have fun!
6 comments:
I love that you wrote instructions for this! They're so sweet! :)
I'll have to print them out for the kids. They're new readers and will love this. Thanks Shirl! :D
oh thanks, kim!
It was fun regressing.
I had never seen fireflies until after I had children. What a joy just watching them (the fireflies & the little kids) - catching the fireflies was such fun, too. Last year my younger son recreated that experience from his childhood with lightning bugs in a jar (fiberoptic threads with the light manipulated by a magnet on the top of the Mason jar). It sits on my desk as a daily reminder of the rewards of family.
what a wonderful story, Gracie!
Step 1: Move to a place where there are such things as fireflies.
oh now i never THOUGHT of that step, Julie! Thank you!
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