“Morniiiing!” called Libby Croakalily. It was a sunny Saturday morning at Honeysuckle Hillside Cottage and her son Hop was still in bed.
She pulled back the curtains in Hop’s room and he let out a big groan. “I don’t wanna get up!” he said. “There’s nothing to do!”
All of his friends were busy so he had to stay at home for the day. He had played all the board games in the house, watched all the movies, and read all the books. What else was there to do?
“I know!” said Libby. “It’s a beautiful day outside, so why don’t we find some fun things to do with nature?”
Hop wasn’t convinced but he got out of bed anyway and hopped downstairs.
“First things first, daisy chains!” said Libby, heading out to the backyard. She laid a blanket on the grass for her and Hop to sit on.
They picked a few daisies and Libby showed Hop how to make a small cut in the stem and loop in another daisy to connect the two. He found it difficult at first but kept practicing and soon they had a whole pile of delicate chains!
“What do you have there?” called Hip, Hop’s little sister, as she ran out to join her mom and brother. “It’s for you!” he said, and placed the chain around her neck.
Hip was delighted with her new necklace and gave Hop a hug to say thank you. She sat down on the blanket and started looking up at the clouds in the sky.
“Hey, that one looks kind of like a baseball glove!” said Hip.
“Oh yeah, I see it!” said Hop.
“And look at that one, doesn’t it look like an umbrella?”
They gazed up at the sky for ages, trying to see who could find the most funny-shaped clouds. “I know what this one looks like – Dad!” laughed Hip, and they both burst into a fit of giggles.
“Did I hear my name?” called Rob Croaklily, as he poked his head outside and walked over to his kids. “Mom said you guys were having fun with nature today. Do you know what that tree is called?”
Hip and Hop shook their heads. “It’s an oak tree,” explained Rob. “It’s deciduous, which means its leaves fall off in winter and grow back in spring. You can see the flower buds growing now, and in a few months’ time there will even be acorns on the branches!”
Hip and Hop were fascinated – how cool that everything changes with each season! Rob pointed out some of the other plants growing in the garden, including green leafy shrubs and bright yellow sunflowers.
Before they knew it, the sun was setting in the sky – a whole day had passed. “Oh my!” gasped Hop. “I can’t believe the day is gone already!”
“See?” said Libby. “You’ll never be bored if you have Mother Nature and your imagination!”
The four Croakalilys cuddled up together on the blanket and watched as the sunset filled the sky with oranges, pinks, and purples.
Tune in next week to see how the Oliphant Elephant Family is keeping fizzy busy!
