At least he doesn't want to keep them

AJ had a couple friends stay overnight about a week ago. They were having a great time playing in the yard, and then the next thing I knew, one of the boys, Noah, was proudly showing off a rather large frog he'd captured from a nearby pond. 

Suddenly, catching frogs was all that AJ wanted to do. I wanted to blame this all on Noah, (And, yes, I realize there are far worse ways he could influence my son.) but then Jeff casually mentioned that he was the one who'd suggested the boys go searching for the frog.

Way to go, Dad!

Within a relatively short amount of time, the boys were asking for help scavenging through the garage in search of frog hunting equipment - a net (after they finally conceded that AJ's toy robot claw was not the best choice in gear) and an empty flower pot (it was the best I could come up with) with a make-do lid.

The boys were far more successful than I could have hoped in their quest for frogs. They thought it was pretty cool that the giant critters were coming from the same pond where AJ had released his tadpoles just a few weeks earlier. Surely that meant these were the tadpoles all grown up. In just a couple weeks.

Later that day, Noah went home and family members arrived for Sydney's birthday party. The frogs were quite a hit!

And AJ was very proud to show them off. They were big enough to hop out of the flower pot any time the lid was removed. No worries. AJ just scooped them up again with the net.

Sydney did not share her brother's enthusiasm for the frogs, though at the same time, she was fascinated by them. Until they hopped out. (And no, there was no chance she'd kiss one to see if it turned into Prince Charming.)

Here's a look at one of them, next to AJ's hand for a size comparison.

Thankfully, AJ did not form a particular attachment to the frogs. When I suggested he let them go at the end of the day, he was fine with that. It was Sydney, bizarrely enough considering she didn't want to touch them, who thought we should keep them as pets.

And so AJ headed back to the pond where he let them go.

And then he moved along. In search of more frogs.

Knowing that he's willing to go with a catch and release approach, I think this has turned into a great summertime activity. It just seems like one of those simple things that all kids should do - a rite of passage as part of their childhood. No electricity or technology required. Instead, they only need their imaginations and a desire for adventure.