One of the things I look forward to when summer comes around is toad hunting with the kids! If you are not familiar with toad hunting, then let me inform you.
In Texas, the toads are plentiful in the summer. Our family enjoys walking around the neighborhood in search of toads. Some nights we get several neighborhood kids to join us and then we can divide into teams. We get several flashlights and boxes/buckets to keep the toads contained.
Then we walk around the neighborhood searching the drains, the edge of the grass and little hiding places for the toads. When we find a toad, we scream “We found one!” Then we chase it down and we (OK, the boys in our group) pick it up and put it in the box. We walk around for about 30 minutes and see how many we can collect.
Then we count how many toads have been collected and if we are in teams, we see who won the most toads award! Then everyone chooses a toad and we see which toad can cross the finish line first. Some nights we have more time and we come up with a few more games.
Then my sweet son who loves toads and frogs sings a song and we watch them jump away. Here is the song he made up…
I love you toad, I love you toad,
you’re the best toad,
I love you toad, I love you toad,
you’re the best toad!
Here is a look at our toad hunt this past Friday night!
Then the race began…
Toad Olympics includes categories like…
Which toad can jump the farthest?
Which toad can stay in the circle the longest?
Which toad is the fastest?
One of my favorite toad hunting memories was with another family that had kid’s the same age. The kids decided to team up with the boys against the girls. It was fun to watch the girls try to get the other one to pick up the toads. One would run find one and she would say, “I’ll hold the bucket, you put the toad in.” The other girl would say, “I already have the bucket, you put it in.” Needless to say, they didn’t get many toads since neither one of them wanted to touch the toads.
We have made some great memories with our neighbors and family. If you ever get the chance to go toad hunting, I highly recommend it. Just be sure to wash your hands afterwards!
Cammie Moise