We see a red fox weekly in our neighborhood. To say it is common is an understatement. I see the red fox more often than I see some of my neighbors. Seeing a medium sized mammal species, like the fox, elicits excitement from my children from ages 4 – 9 and it is an invitation to learn about our natural world.
Seeing the fox, or any animal for that matter, instantly brings up a number of questions like where is it going, what is doing, is it a mommy or a daddy? Most of these questions I do not have answers for, rather I turn the questions back to my kids and ask them where they think the fox is going? Maybe to fox school my youngest says. I ask my kids if they think it is a mommy or daddy fox and my girls all say it’s a mommy while my son says it’s a boy. My oldest observes how big it looks, how it’s hair is all “poofed out”, perhaps to keep warm (it’s January). Even a short glimpse of wildlife can foster a lengthy discussion about our natural world.
the suburban naturalists 