Relaxed Chat: Planting Seeds

Welcome to Kototane's 'Relaxed' Chat Room. 🍀
Here, I'd like to write in a relaxed way about the little tricks I use while working full-time, small things that happen in my daily life, stories that might make you chuckle, and interactions with my children.

Sunday mornings are for waking up early with the family.

Sunday mornings in our house start very early.
On days with no plans, we take the kids to the park for some early morning activities.
It's one of the ways we, as a dual-income, full-time working couple, manage our time. For us adults, there are many benefits: stress relief from walking, moving our bodies, and being active in the crisp morning air. For the children, it's all pros: they can play on the equipment without waiting since no one else is there yet, they get nature experiences like bug catching and observation, and they get pleasant stimulation for their brains by moving their bodies first thing in the morning.

There is much to be gained from morning nature experiences.

For my children, who are close in age, every summer marks the start of our annual insect collecting and observation tradition.
From around June, we visit the park constantly to look for rhinoceros beetles and stag beetles, going almost every week from early morning to evening or night, and we catch four or five of something every week. From July, we start looking for cicada larvae in earnest. When we find them, we attach them to the window screen at home and observe the moment they emerge. (I experienced the moment of emergence for the first time after my children were born, and a freshly emerged cicada is pale blue and looks very beautiful when illuminated by the moonlight. ✨)
Besides that, there are mantises and grasshoppers, and as the end of summer approaches, dragonflies; the objects of the children's observation shift along with the changing seasons.

Through experiences like these, a foundation of knowledge is built regarding insect ecology, the preciousness of life, and how ecosystems work.
My eldest son, Uri-kun, is even called the 'Insect Professor' at his nursery school. 🐞
His little sister, Purin-chan, also touches and observes cicadas, dragonflies, rhinoceros beetles, and stag beetles without any fear. ☺️

This time, I introduced our family's morning activities. 🍀
For families who find it hard to spend time together, who don't have the money or energy for long trips, or who want to make time for themselves, I recommend park morning activities. Please try using this as a reference. ☺️

Thank you for reading until the end.