They discovered the dead baby squirrel on an Adventure Walk. It was back in my family child care days. Adventure walks were walks where the kids, usually 3-6 year-olds, picked the direction we headed each time we came to an intersection. (More on that in a future play sighting.) We’re here to explain how the dead baby squirrel ended up in a jar.

We’re on this Adventure Walk the exquisite morning after a roof-ripping, tree-downing, pet-stressing thunderstorm. Under a huge maple tree, the kids spied the tiny baby squirrel.

“Is it dead?”

“It probably fell out of the tree.”

“Where are its Mom and Dad?”

“Maybe it’s sleeping.”

“Poke it with a stick!”

“Jeff, should we poke it with a stick?”

“Let’s not poke it. It had a rough night. It looks pretty dead.”

“We should bury it!”

“No! We should put it in a jar!”

“Yes!”

“Can we put the dead baby squirrel in a jar, Jeff?”

“Please?!”

The request wasn’t as strange as it sounds. I already had a collection of dead creatures in jars that fascinated the kids. (We’ll cover how that collection started in yet another upcoming play sighting.)

We didn’t have dead-animal-collection gear with us, so I promised we’d come back in the afternoon and collect it for jarring. One of the boys offered to haul it back in the hood of his sweatshirt, but we went with my plan.

Dead Baby Squirrel In A Jar Wrap Up

We jarred the dead baby squirrel that afternoon and placed it on the shelf above the piano with the rest of the collection. That was nearly 20 years ago. Since then, hundreds of kids–and adults–have held that jar and examined the dead baby squirrel’s tiny little claws, cute little nose, and not-so-fluffy tail. The jar has traveled with me to early learning trainings, play events, and program visits all over the United States, Canada, and Australia.

Many kids have an intellectual interest in death. They’re also often fascinated when they get close to critters, even dead ones. I’ve only met one child who was not keen to investigate the jarred squirrel, and that was because her mother was standing a few feet away with an uncomfortable look on her face. Mom went away, and the girl’s apprehension melted.

In future play sighting posts, I’ll share stories of a girl who wanted her own dead baby squirrel in a jar and another who named the squirrel and spent an hour singing to it.

I explain how to jar dead stuff in my book Everyday Early Learning, but I will get to that in a future Do-It-Yourself post here at Playvolution HQ.

Contribute content to Playvolution HQ
Brought to you by Explorations Early Learning

Browse Trainings