Last week, when we were in the woods, we noticed lots of tiny frogs hopping about. It was very exciting to see. One particular frog we named Dave, and we watched him hop away into the woodland.
This week we discovered that Dave and his pals were not, in fact, frogs at all. They were TOADS.
Of course, frogs and toads look a lot alike but they aren’t the same, and that is important.
It would be a bit like saying a rectangle looks quite like a square, so it’s fine to call it a square. Or that pink is a bit like red, so either name will do.
Adults don’t always get it right. The important bit is being curious enough to notice, check, and keep updating our knowledge banks.
And, knowing the names of the creatures and plants we share our world with is important — it helps us notice them, value them and care for them.
At CVN we make mistakes, but we’re happy to own up to them. We’re also comfortable saying when we don’t know something. After all, we can always try to find out.
So, thank you to Dave and his pals for teaching me something new this week.
Try this at home:
Look out for something in the natural world that you don’t know the name of… yet.
Cambusbarron Village Nursery 