Middle of the Night Homeschooling in Pajamas

One wonderful thing about homeschooling is the flexibility it provides. We can homeschool when it is most convenient for our family, and we do not have to follow a strict school schedule. Plus, you never know when a neat opportunity for learning will present itself.

Tonight was an example of this. Caleb woke up around midnight wanting a drink and to snuggle. I was watching TV, so I let him watch with me. Coincidentally, Leno had a bug expert on right then. Caleb and I watched him bring out a huge praying mantis, some beetles, and a cockroach. I figured I would put him to bed after we watched the bug guy. We both enjoyed watching the bugs and listening to the information given about each one.

Then Caleb decided he was missing Daddy and wanted to call him. Daddy was at his weekly poker game and not home yet. We called Daddy and found out he was on his way home. I decided to let Caleb stay up to see Daddy.

When Daddy came home, he brought in the mail which included a special package from Insect Lore. The box said that it needed to be opened immediately, so we did just that. Inside was the Lady Bug Land habitat and several ladybug larvae in a tube. We opened the tube and put the larvae into their new home. We were all surprised that they looked nothing like ladybugs. They were long and skinny with ridges and coloring that gave a small indication of what their hard wings would look like once they became ladybugs.

The booklet that came with the ladybugs showed pictures of their life cycle. They undergo a similar metamorphosis as butterflies with the following stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. After taking some pictures of Caleb and Daddy with the Lady Bug Land, we all finally turned in for the night.

When Caleb woke up, he immediately checked on his ladybug larvae and then drew the following pictures of the ladybug life cycle. He drew them all except for the pupa which I drew.

We are excited to learn more about ladybugs over the next few weeks.