Leo

What does Leo love most about nature?

When he’s outside, he doesn’t typically notice anything else except for what’s crawling on the ground around him. Always wondering what he can collect. What can he find & bring home? He uses words in his vocabulary, like “specimen” and “dissect”. He is always craving that scientific explanation with any of his findings in nature. He is so gentle with bugs allowing them to crawl on his hands & arms, never afraid. He knows a huge variety of species of insects & calls them all “incredible”.

What is Leo's favorite animal—and why?

All insects but specifically beetles! Narrowing down to rhinoceros beetles. Leo loves beetles “Because they are nice & cool and also they are very easy to find”. Weevil beetles are everywhere in our own backyard habitat so he often puts them in his bug finder. At his school playground when someone finds a bug he’s known as the “bug kid” & everyone calls for him to name the kind of bug or to help rescue it. He’s always said he’s an entomologist. He has shown so many people the beauty in bugs!

What is Leo's favorite outdoor activity?

Finding treasures, bugs & fossils. He always has his magnifying glass with him and catches grasshoppers & he pretends to be a ranger. He loves the beach too! He loves to find shells & swim in the ocean. Collecting coquinas on the shore & he often tries to find conchs, sand dollars & starfish (always throwing them back in the ocean). His school is located on the beach so he goes to the beach a lot and they focus on learning about marine life & being in touch with nature.