Stumpy
“Oh look! There’s Twinkletoes!”
“Hi there, Dr. Bunnington!”
“I saw Stumpy today”
You’ll hear conversations like this on a daily basis at our house. Many of the wild animals that roam our yard and neighborhood have names we’ve given them based on behaviors or physical characteristics.
This tradition evolved entirely by accident, as we noticed that the same critters were visiting our yard repeatedly. As our kids named the animals, we were all able to more easily create an emotional connection to their well- being.
We became friends with a red squirrel that we named Jasper- a loud, playful critter who came several times daily to see what treats we might have tossed his way. Shimmer, his larger grey squirrel friend, came as well. Every day. We now know Stumpy, our neighborhood squirrel friend that has somehow lost his tail. And we enjoy our visits with a lovely bunny that we’ve named, Dr. Bunnington.
Jasper
Our conversations with the kiddoes about ecology and habitat destruction caused by nearby developments aren’t affecting abstract random wildlife. These discussions concern and affect Our Squirrels! Our Bunnies! Cars speeding down the road aren’t just driving too fast- they might hurt our animal friends. We have learned that Stumpy, the Tailless Squirrel, has to cross the street to get to our yard as we’ve seen where he nests. So road safety became a bigger deal to our kids.
From a very young age, Plum and Bluey have spoken out for the animals. And we think their passion is due, in part, to the relationships that have developed by giving their backyard animal friends names. This deeper connection to nature helps Plum and Bluey understand how human actions can change the whole environment.
And we think that this is a very important lesson.