LILL's LIST

I’m sitting here in orange sweat pants and an orange t-shirt. Talk about The Great Pumpkin! But this post is not about losing weight. It’s about Halloween goodies that you can get online – ones that are good throughout the year.

One of my favorite sites, E-Nature has a screeching barn owl ringtone that you can download to your cell phone. It’s doesn’t get scarier than that. But, if you’d like something a little less likely to cause panic in a crowded restaurant, you could opt for one of the other ringtones they have. Perhaps a Snowy Tree Cricket or Swainson’s Thrush? (May I suggest the Howler Monkey ringtone for your teenagers, so they can hear their cell phones over their loud music?)

Also on the E-Nature site is this topical article about (and you need your best Dracula voice to read this) Creatures of the Night. A good exploration of why it is that so many people are afraid of spiders, owls and bats, this is a good subject for discussion with your kids at Halloween or any time. And while we’re on the subject, can we just clear up one little myth?

All bats do NOT carry rabies. Actually, only 1/2 of 1 percent of bats have rabies. Of course, if you have an encounter with a bat, especially in an enclosed space, it’s only sensible to get checked out by a doctor and capture and bring the bat with you. But it’s just not true that every bat is rabid. It is true, however, that most bats eat millions of mosquitoes and that makes them friends to humans as far as I’m concerned.

Another great freebie on E-Nature is their Zip Guide. This handy section lets you find out all about the wildlife in your neck of the woods – or block of the city. For instance, you might want to know if there are any endangered species you should be aware of in the parks and fields near your house. You can find out here.

You can also find out about poisonous critters you might not want to step on, mammal tracks you can identify and general knowledge about all the plants and animals that abound in your geographic area. It’s one of those places where you can spend hours with your kids, and a place you’ll find yourself coming back to from season to season.

So, after the trick or treaters are in bed, surf over to E-Nature and nibble some candy corn while you download the screech owl ringtone. Then, tomorrow morning when your kids wonder why the candy bowl is emptier, you can distract them by calling your cell phone and letting the owl cut off the conversation. And after school, you can show them the E-Nature site and let them learn about the Creatures of the Night that are part of the ecosystem where you live.

Related posts:

1. Great Green Links for Kids
2. Can You Hear Me Now?