Emma found her first rolly polly (potato bug?) today. I showed her that if you touched it, it would roll up into a ball. She told me to do it, so I did and since it was on an incline, it rolled a ways down, stopped, unrolled and started crawling away again.
Emma squealed in delight. "Do it again! Do it again!" So I abliged (or is that obliged?). Emma found it absolutely fascinating and very entertaining.
Then came the inevitable barrage of "why" questions. Why does it roll up? Why would another animal eat it? Why does it have so many legs (she knows bugs have 6, but its a bug. Didn't have time to get into the whole lecture about phyla, order and the like :).
For the first time in oh.. around 30 years I found myself also fascinated again by rolly pollys, what order they were (isopoda and even what chemical and physiological processes set off the 'rollling' thing. Ok, so I'm sure Emma wasn't thinking exactly along those lines, but I'm sure it was something like "what makes it roll", its not a bug, but is kinda, what is it?
It was nice to find some childhood curiosity on a random sunny day looking at a rolly polly.
« Think of the Children | Main | Off we go »
rolly polly
Emma found her first rolly polly (potato bug?) today. I showed her that if you touched it, it would roll up into a ball. She told me to do it, so I did and since it was on an incline, it rolled a ways down, stopped, unrolled and started crawling away again.
Emma squealed in delight. "Do it again! Do it again!" So I abliged (or is that obliged?). Emma found it absolutely fascinating and very entertaining.
Then came the inevitable barrage of "why" questions. Why does it roll up? Why would another animal eat it? Why does it have so many legs (she knows bugs have 6, but its a bug. Didn't have time to get into the whole lecture about phyla, order and the like :).
For the first time in oh.. around 30 years I found myself also fascinated again by rolly pollys, what order they were (isopoda and even what chemical and physiological processes set off the 'rollling' thing. Ok, so I'm sure Emma wasn't thinking exactly along those lines, but I'm sure it was something like "what makes it roll", its not a bug, but is kinda, what is it?
It was nice to find some childhood curiosity on a random sunny day looking at a rolly polly.
Search
About
This page contains a single entry from the blog posted on April 13, 2006 3:05 PM.
The previous post in this blog was Think of the Children.
The next post in this blog is Off we go.
Many more can be found on the main index page or by looking through the archives.
Powered by
Movable Type 3.33
Movable Type 3.33
Comments (5)
You mean you KNOW why they roll??!
Whoa! Please, do tell! (and no, this is SO not sarcasm!)
heee~~ wouldn't it be fun if we could roll up like that? :-) After a hard days work in studying for exams, I could go find a nice big hill in this new spring weather, and bounce and roll just like them ...
it's been so long since I've really noticed those cute things!
Comment #243 on April 13, 2006 7:09 PM |
Isn't it absolutely amazing how children have this uncanny ability to bring us into the moment at lightening bug speed?
I like this blog! I have added you to my links and I will definately check back in shortly to find out the scientific explination as to how Roly Polys roll!!!!
I look forward to reading more of your posts and wish you and your family all the best.
Comment #244 on April 14, 2006 5:06 AM |
my kids loved roly poly bugs when they were little. Once we pulled up a big rock in our yard and there were hundreds of them. My son was absolutely amazed. And I have to admit I thought it was pretty cool too.
Comment #245 on April 14, 2006 6:29 PM |
Thank you for writing about rolly polly's . Our mommy googled to find information on yhe bug we found in the garage. It was fun.
--------
Comment #246 on September 1, 2006 5:33 AM |
I have a pet Roly Poly and his/her name is and i say it is ether lucky or romobobbyjoe or bobbyjoe.Email me at midnightcheetah@msn.com and tell me what you want it to be. And it has a gold color on its back
Comment #4407 on January 25, 2007 1:13 PM |