Ladybirds

The past week we had some really amazing weather here in Bradford. Sunshine!...and also, big shocker, no rain. Actually, there were very few clouds for that matter as well....no clouds in England for that long has got to be a record of some kind. It felt like summer all week. It had been so warm that everyday after school the three of us would come home from working inside all day and flop down outside on the trampoline the last tenants were so kind to leave in our backyard. There was very little bouncing....the trampoline more or less was just a good surface to lay on and soak up this incredible sun. It was so wonderful.....but everyday going back to school and knowing we had to spend the best part of those rare, hot, sunshiny days inside was a bit sad. The kids wanted to be outside, I wanted to be outside and the teachers felt bad that the students had to be cooped up all day, stating more than once that they should just let them go (none of that was because they wanted to be outside as well of course). So my ingenious teacher decided to plan an outdoor lesson and take advantage of the gorgeous weather - a bug collecting lesson. Right up my alley. I got to use all that shiny, new, college-approved knowledge that's just sitting in my head. We spent the afternoon catching worms, slugs, pill bugs, beetles, flies, spiders (yuck...even for me yuck!), pincher bugs, ladybugs.....you name it, we caught it! It was "well sick" aka awesome (the kids words, not mine).....the most fun of the day for me came after this. We came back inside and my teacher asked me to take over a part of the lesson so she could sort out what we were doing next. I got to be a teacher talking about something I actually understood for once. Ladybugs...or ladybirds as they are called here. We talked about colors, life cycles, diets...you know...everything that should be ridiculously boring for an 11 year old, but surprisingly enough wasn't. They took notes (for fun...no one told them to because they didn't need them) answered and asked questions....I teased them about how ladybirds could fly faster than they could run, they teased me because I kept stumbling over the word ladybird (it's hard when your brain keeps saying ladybug, ladybug, ladybug)...they figured out why ladybugs had spots and smell funny (with little prompting...they are so smart!)....the best part of all was they laughed and they learned. It was such a wonderful day...I got to feel useful in a way I haven't yet since graduating, the kids got to enjoy the beautiful weather and everyone had fun! I think I'll have to check that one off as a success :)