A New Reality (Show)

Baby rattlesnake masters emerged, barely visible, last week. This is how they look today, mini-succulents. So... funny story about these. Our 3-4th grade students each have one plant that they watch and make phenology observations throughout the year. A small group has this plant, and discovered the babies this morning. They were like proud parents, "We're having babies!" I suggested that they count the tiny planties, and at first glance, they counted 8 plants. So one boy said, "Hey, we're like John and Kate Plus Eight! We could have a show on TLC about our plants," (Which statement I thought was hilarious). Looking closer, they discovered some smaller ones, and they actually have 14 babies -- which prompted them to observe that if they could only discover 6 more babies, they could break the record (referring to 19 Kids and Counting). Honestly, that whole exchange busted me up. And I don't know what they will or won't get out of their plant phenology studies in the long run, but the fact that they view these little guys as their progeny, and feel a sort of kinship, makes me feel gratified regardless.