The days of summer are quickly fading away, so don't wait to try out this time-honored rite of passage. Your adventurer nieces and nephews will love the thrill of catching fireflies on one of the last warm evenings before school goes back in session.   

What You'll Need:

-Flashlights
-Clean jars (old peanut butter or jam jars work best!)
-Mesh netting and butterfly nets like this one
- Rubber bands

What to do:

1. Wait for a warm, mild weather evening and take your nieces and nephews out into the back yard—grassy areas near bodies of water (a pond or lake) are usually where fireflies like to commune.

2. Prepare your catching jar by lining the bottom with a damp paper towel and some grass (this ensures that they will not dry out and will have enough air to breath).

3. Work as a team. Have your niece or nephew hold the jar at the ready while you catch the files with the butterfly net, or vice versa.

4. While catching the flies, make sure you or your niece or nephew keep the top of the jar covered with mesh netting at all times so they can't escape.

5. After the hunt for flies is over, secure the mesh netting (or jar cap) atop the jar with a rubber band.

6. Enjoy your very own summer light show together.

7.  Don't forget the set them free later!

*For those cosmopolitan Aunties who live in places where fireflies are not as abundant: Try creating your own firefly mural using white Christmas lights and construction paper. With a little imagination, the sky is the limit!

Published: August 24, 2011