Village Parkdays 12:00 pm – 4pm (or sundown)

Upcoming Events
Aug 13 - Venia's Vacation: Belarusse, Vienna, and..

Aug - 6 Topanga Beach Day (boogie boards and sandcastles)

July 30 - Summer Parkday

July 23 - Leather Stamping

July 16 - Ancient Rome

July 9 - Japan Past & Present

July 2 - Independence & H2O

June 25 Beach Day

June 18 Tenzi Frenzi

June 11 - Juggling Craft and Fun

June 4 - Stokes Theater & Plays

May 28 - Christina's Family Yogatime

May 21 - Bring your crafty projects & Potluck

May 14- Career Day

May 7 - Mother's Day Tea

April 30 - Art Show & Painting

Apr 23 - Earthday Show & Tell and Planting

Apr16 - 19 Joshua Tree Annual Family Campout

Apr 9 - HexiFlexigons - rescheduled

Apr 2 - Magic Tricks & Juggling Sticks

Mar 26 - HexiFlexigons - Geometry Gone Wild

Mar 19 - Potluck & Nat Amer Kid Presentations

Mar 12 - Nat Amer 2: Plains & Tipi's

Mar 5 - Native American 1: Inuit & Carving

Feb 28 - The Art of Debate

Feb 19 - Potluck & Chinese New Year & Korean, Vietnamese

Feb 12 - Valentyne's Day exchange

Feb 5 - Favorite Books

Jan 29 - Build an African Kalimba

Jan 22 - Patents and Inventors

Jan 15 Potluck, Patents and Inventors

Jan 8 - Boardgames and Beginnings

Jan 1st New Year's Playday

Dec 25 Merry Christmas No Parkday

Dec 18 Kwanza; Hannukah; Xmas; Solstice Celebration & Lunch Potluck

Dec 15 Caroling at Retirement Homes

Dec 11 Holiday Craft Day

Dec 4 Idioms by Maria Wheee!

Nov 27 Happy Thanksgiving No Parkday

Nov 20 Venezuela by Enrique & Potluck

Nov 13 Science Bloopers

Nov 6 Inside a Courtroom

Nov 4 Take your Kid to Vote

Oct 30 Costume Halloween Party

Oct 23 Bring a Poem

Oct 19 Campfire Potluck &Talent Show

Oct 16 Poetry Play Day & Potluck

Oct 9 Save Big Cats & Habitats

Oct 2 Making & Launching Rockets

Sept 28 Watts Tower Drumming Festival 10-4pm

Sept 25 Basket Weaving with NewsPaper

Sept 18 M&B Family Campout @ Sequoia Nat'l Park (No parkday)

Sept 11 OuterSpace Aeronautics or
Sustainable Farming & Husbandry (if cool enough for goats to visit)

Sep 10 M&B Free @ LA County Fair

Sep 2 Amazing Aeronautics

Aug 28 Beach Day

Aug 21 Pioneer Day

Aug 14 Five Year M&B Anniversary

Aug 7 Solar Ovens Part III

Jul 31 Solar Ovens Part II

Jul 24 Solar Ovens Part I @ Beach

Jul 17 Balloon Fun/Physics

Jul 10 Blind as a Bat (Braille & Sonar)

Jul 3rd (No Parkday Independence)

Jun 26 Tal Family

Jun 19 Kinetic Ball Run & Squirt bottle motion & Potluck

Jun 12 Summer Festival & Games

Jun 11 Full Moon Hike

Jun 5 Let's Get Tiny - Cells (Animal & Plant)

May 29 Lets get tiny - Cells (Animal & Plant)

May 22 Famous People

May 15 Beach Day & Potluck

May 8 Celebrating Mothers

May 1 Secrets of Water

Apr 24 Earthday & Planting

Apr 17 Games & Crafts Bring Your OWN

Apr 10 Nat'l Poetry Month

Apr 3 Cotton Magic

Mar 27 Bacteria Fun

Mar 20 Potluck & Organ Day!

Mar14-16 Joshua Tree Annual Spring Family Campout

Mar 13 - No Theme due to weekend Campout

Mar 6- Birdwatching & Nesting Day

Feb 27 - Physics of Bowling due to Rain

Feb 20 - The Winter Olympics

Feb 14-17 Backyard Bird Count

Feb 13 - VOLUNTEER PLEASE. Valentines Day

Feb 6 - Taxonomy & the Darwin Challenge

Jan 30 - Lunar New Year of the Horse

Jan 23 - Simple Machines II - Pulleys & Levers

Jan 16 - Habitats & Keystone Species & Noon Potluck

Jan 9 - Cogs & Cams: Simple Machines

Jan 2 - Reconnecting after holidays & New Year's Celebrations

Dec 26 - No Parkday Happy Holidays

Dec 19 - Celebrate Holidays: Winter Solstice, Kwanza, Christmas & Hanukkah

Dec 12 - Solar Fun & Mask Making with Michelle

Dec 5 - Monarch Magic & Eucalyptus

Nov 28 - Happy Thanksgiving - No Parkday

Nov 23 - Fieldtrip to Monarch Groves in Goleta

Nov 21 - Monarchs & Eucalyptus Trees postponed

Nov 14 - Atoms, Protons, Electrons, Oh My!

Nov 7 - Autumn Leaves & Sewing with Heather

Oct 31 - Halloween Festival

Oct 24 - Spooky SeeSaw Algebra

Oct 17 - 3 City Geography & Int'l Potluck & 6:00pm Talent Show

Oct 10 - 2nd M&B Bug Faire

Oct 3 - Abacus Math Magic

Sept 26 - Bark Painting & Spirit Animals

Sep 19-23 Annual Sequoia Family Campout

Sep 14 Fieldtrip to Point Vicente

Sep 12 - Lighthouses & Prisms II

Sep 5 - Build Splash Toys @ Pool

Aug 29 - Lighthouses & Light I

Aug 22 - DeSalination @ Beach PD

Aug 15 - Weaving yarn or old clothes

Aug 8 - Hula Hoop II

Aug 1 - Hula Hoop I @ Beach A

Jul 25 - M&B's 4th Anniversary
All ages Talent Show

Jul 18 - Hawaii Day & Potluck

Jul 11 - Bubble Science Fun

July 4 No Parkday HOLIDAY

Jun 27 No Parkday HOLIDAY

Jun 20 - Crafts Free for All

Jun 13 - Gold Mining & BoomTowns

Jun 6 - Anyone? Or Lemonade Stands

May 31-Jun 2 Family Campout at Montano De Oro

May 30 - MayDay PlayDay II

May 23 - MayDay PlayDay

May 16 - Bats, Owl Pellets & Potluck

May 9 - Primitive Arts & Indian Trading Blanket

May 2 - Painting & Poems

Apr 25- Help Our Wildlife Thrive

Apr 18 - M&B Earthday & Potluck 5pm

Apr 11 - Missouri Day / Bees Part 2
HoneyLove.org

Apr 4 - Bees ($3/kid for candlemaking)
Ula's Birthday

Mar 28 - Feathers, Microscopes & Origami Cranes

Mar 21 - History of Sugar; Plant own sugarcane

Mar 14 - Robots & Circuitry $3/kid

Mar 7 - Rainy Day @ Skirball Free

Feb 28 - Felting & Fiber Arts

Feb 21 - Morocco II
and Islamic Prayer

Feb 14 Valentines & Asian New Year Traditions

Feb 7 - Huichol Yarn Paintings
& Esme's Bday

Jan 31 - Birth of a Nation

Jan 24 - Cancelled
due to RAIN

Jan 17 - Craft parkday

Jan 15 - USA Tour @ Skirball

Jan 10- Morocco Senses & Allah

Jan 3 - Free for All Playday

Dec 27 - Free For All Playday

Dec 20 - Xmas, Hanukkah, Kwanza, Divali & Winter Solstice (Carols & Potluck)

Dec 13 - Morocco, Art & Mint Tea

Dec 6 - Pompeii Part II & Archeology

Nov 29 - Let's BOWL
due to Rain

Nov 22 - Thanksgiving - No Parkday

Nov 15 - Duct Tape Crafts & creations by C & C
and Lunch Potluck

Nov 8 - Ancient Pompeii & Mt Vesuvius

Nov 1 - Election & Voting Debate:
More trees or Waterslide

Oct 25 - Trunk or Treat; Dress-up
Halloween

Oct 18 - Peace Building &
Anger drop

Oct 11 - Superhero Rain

Oct 4 - Inks from Nature

Sep 27 Ireland Fun & Culture

Sep 20 -Sequoia-sized Boardgames

Sep 13 - 3rd Sequoia Campout

Sep 6- Heroes and Heroines - Kids Presentations

Aug 30 - Simile, Metaphors & Figures of Speech

Aug 23- Letterboxing II

Aug 16 - Letterboxing I

Aug 9 - Beach Day

Aug 2 - Modern Olympics II

July 26 - Ancient Olympics I

July 19 - Paper Arts: Bowls, Books & Beads

July 12 - Beach Day

July 5 - Statue of Liberty - 4th July

June 28 - Storytelling & Aussie Rainsticks

June 21 - Fun Games Field day

June 14 - Mystery Math = Algebra Fun

June 7- Silly Summer Day Fun

May 31 - Build Miniature Golf

May 24 - Sewing & Haiku Part II

May 17 - Haikus & Drums & Evening Potluck

May 10 - Rock Hunter Guest Speakers

May 3 - May Day Celebrations

Apr 26 - Fibonacci & Nature

Apr 19 - Thai New Year -Songkran & Potluck

April 12 - Spring Bling & Night Crawlers Planting season

April 5- Easter /Passover Crafts

Mar 29 - Ethics & Fairytales

Mar 22 - Detective Fingerprints & Crafts

Mar 15 - Prep for Joshua Tree

Mar 8 - Marbles & Physics

Mar 1 - Make Real Dream Catchers

Feb 23 - Pirates, Sea Captains &Tall Ships

Feb 16 - Wilderness Survival - guest Speaker

Feb 9 - Anatomy Guts vs Feeling Guts

Feb 2- Gravity Fun Games

Jan 26 - Cement Bridges Part Two

Jan 19 - Kids first Rock & Gem Show

Jan 12 - Global New Years Celebration

Jan 5 - Rockets-Aquarius M&B helped launch

Dec 29 - Cement Construction hand print tile

Dec 22- Kwanza, Hannukah, Bodhi Day stories & games 12/8

Dec 15 - Amy's Anatomy Obstacle Course

Dec 8 - Painting so it POPS! w/ out wind

Dec 1 - Painting so it POPS!

Nov 24 - Happy Thanksgiving - No M&B Parkday

Nov 17 - Fun with Manners & Empowering Etiquette & And 3rd Thurs Potluck (lunchtime)!

Nov 10 - History of Photography - Make Pinhole Cameras

Nov 3 - Butterfly & Bug Faire & Poems & Riddles

Oct 27 - Pumpkin Festival *Dress UP!!

Oct 20 - Empathy & Empowerment

Oct 13 - Braille & Visually Impaired

Oct 6- Atoms & Cool Molecules

Sept 29- Black Bears & Sequoias

Sept 22 - Sequoia Fires & Cones

Sept 15- Clay Creatures & Open-ended ?s

Sept 8- Beat the Heat Beach Day

Sept 1 - Lemonade Stand Commerce

Aug 25 - Back to Homeschool Play

Aug 18 - Saw Safely & make a Jacob's Ladder

Aug 11 - Biomes, Habitats & Soda Bottle Terrarium

Aug 4 - M&B 2Year Anniversary Party

July 28 - Finger Knitting & Natural Fibers

July 21 - Stone Soup Potluck & Storytime

July 14 - CrazyFun ScienceLab Experiments

July 7 - Independence Day Celebration @ Zuma Beach

June 30 - Nocturnal Creatures & Owl Pellets to dissect

June 23 - Book Exchange Circus

June 16 - Lewis & Clark, Quill pens from feathers & Potluck

June 9 ATC- Making Artists' Trading Cards

June 2 Petraglyphs, Pictoglyphs & Rafting the Grand Canyon

May 26 Historical
Figures that changed the World
all Kids Perform

May 19 Pharoahs, Pyramids & Crafts
And Potluck 5pm-sundown

May 12
Mars & Space Travel

May 5
Mother's Day
High Tea

Apr 28
Physics & Imagination=
Future Travel

Apr 21
Mask Making & Storytelling

Apr 14
Sound Waves

Apr 7
Geodesic Dome

Mar 31
Earthquakes & Tectonics

Mar 24
Show & Tell & Games

Mar 17
Family Campout Joshua Tree

Mar 10
Mardi Gras

Mar 3
Africa & Wangari Maathai

Feb 24
Brains: the Inside Story

Feb 3
Chinese New Year

Jan 27
Pioneer Parkday Part 2

Jan 20
Days of Yore

Jan 13
Fun & Safety
with Germs

Jan 6
Chess by Jahan

Dec 31
New Year's FreePlay

Dec 23
Kwanza, Hannukah
& Christmas

Dec 16
Engines & Cars
& Alternative Power

Dec 9
Microscopic World

Dec 2
Cartoon & Collage

Nov 25th
Thanksgiving Holiday

Nov 18th
Nature Crafts & Yoga

Nov 11th
Wind Turbines

Nov 4th
Indian Diwali Celebration

Oct 28th
Spooky Obstacle Course

Oct 21st
How Songs are Born

Oct 14th
Build a
Weather Station

Oct 7th
Prisms, Vision & Zoetropes

Sept 30th
Spanish CultureFest

Sept 23rd
Russian Culture & Potluck

Sept 17
Family Campout @ Sequoia Nat'l Park

Sept 9th
Chemical (molecular) Reactions

Sept 2nd
History of Flight

August 26th
Light, Refraction & Rainbows

Aug 19
Potluck

August 12
Turtles, Tortoises & YOU

August 5th
Honey, Bees & Wasps

July 29th
M&B 1 year anniversary

July 22
Inuit Culture & Games

July 15th
Bastille Day - French Independence

June 17th
Swedish MidSummerFest

June 10th
Catapults & Parachutes
Gravity & Lift

June 3rd
Our BodyGuards
Snot & Scabs

May 27th
Pollination, Fruit & Seeds

May 20th
Hawaii & Potluck Luau!

May 13
Ladybugs, Silkworms & Praying Mantis

May 6th
Knots, Pirates & Explorers

April 29
Earth Day Part 2

April 22
40th anniversary of Earth Day

April 15th
Japanese Girls' & Boy's Day

April 8th
Bridges, Cantilevers & Treehouses

April 1st
Magnetism part II: Physical Force of Nature

March 25
Magnetism part I: I'm attracted!

March 18th
Desert Life

March 11th
Global Timelines

March 4th
Spring Bling:
Worms, Dirt & Seeds

1st Anniversary in July & Talent Show

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( Four of the pictures you click on will send  you to a video of a different kid’s talent.) In order to  honor our kids and have as much fun as possible celebrating our FIRST year of MudPies & Butterflies, we had a TALENT show.  Some of the children came in costume (as did I).  Many had been preparing and practicing for days.  Others came as they were and were swept up by the event to perform impromptu skits solo or with other children.

IMG_2248…The stage was made from what were igloo blocks from the Leary family’s Inuit day the week before.  The curtains were from another parkday that many of the kids had painted on 2 dollar bedsheets from Ikea.  (Most homeschool families I know are more than frugal, we are vigilant detectives for the finds.)  With a little help from an Ipod & Boom Box, the  stage was set and prepped for showcasing each kids talents.   The excitement was palatable, as Everyone was excited to witness and/or perform with their friends.IMG_2244IMG_2234IMG_2201IMG_2222IMG_2231IMG_2199

Swedish MidSummer Fest & Potluck

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What a Fun Day!  We celebrated Summer   with a Swedish Festival and a Swedish MidSommer Pole called a Majstång (similar to a traditional MayPole).  Erected in a large gathering spot such as a village square or the center of our park, everyone dances and sings around it. Traditionally, there are no ribbons to the ones in Sweden, but like a Maypole each family brought ribbons!  Midsummer  is a Swedish Nat’l holiday celebrated on the Friday closest to June 24th.

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Why do they celebrate Summer?   Did you know that the sun doesn’t even rise in parts of Sweden in the middle of winter?  That means no daylight at all. It is important to celebrate the days when the sun is out the longest in the middle of summer.   Of course MudPies & Butterflies kids got a dose of  the planetary reasons why Summer days and Winter nights are so long.  I had the kids orbiting and tilting as they circumambulated around the pretend sun (me!).

IMG_0602IMG_0589And since it was a potluck,  some of the fare was Swedish: Swedish & Russian pancakes (thx Anna),  two types of herring, traditional Giagantic Swedish Rye crackers (thank you IKEA),  Lingonberry punch, Fresh SummerBerry tarts and a wonderful assortment of other non-Swedish but equally yummy foods.   

We experienced many elements of the traditions of Sweden, including making colorful wreaths as many people wear flower wreaths, “Krans”, on their heads on Midsummer.  IMG_0511That morning, I cut down plenty of our trumpet vines in my back yard to work as a natural base, but the other families brought lovely flowers and garnish to add to our IMG_0510wreaths.  And the dew of Midsummer is believed to have magical properties and possesses the ability to heal illness. Of course it requires getting up quite early to catch the dew, and whether or not it is magical will be irrelevant because if you’re up early collecting it, it will become magical.

And do you know the first animal to be harnessed and ridden?IMG_7084

Nope, not horses – Reindeer!

230,000 Reindeer live in Sweden.  The Sami, the indigenous nomadic people of Northern Scandinavia follow the reindeer through Northern Sweden, Finland and Norway.  Of course Reindeer don’t presently acknowledge political lines, so neither do the Sami.  The Sami live out of tents like Teepees that are portable.  This photo was taken in April at the Scandinavian Festival in Thousand Oaks, CA.

And the kids also got to make yarn bracelets of the twisted fashion that has been around Sweden for generations.IMG_0491IMG_0573

And then it was time for our MidSommerFest inspiring dancing and fun songs accompanied by the wonderful strumming of Forest’s violin/fiddle and Sharon’s Guitar. Click on the picture below to see some of the video footage!IMG_0537

And then we attempted the traditional Frog Dance – Små grodorna .  Ours wasn’t as good, but it was hilarious and fun!  Check it out…

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Click on image to see our Fruity Frog Dance

Traditional lyrics are in Swedish, but here is the English translation…

The little frogs, the little frogs are funny to observe.
The little frogs, the little frogs are funny to observe.
No ears, no ears no tails do they possess.
No ears, no ears no tails do they possess.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.
Kou ack ack ack, kou ack ack ack,
kou ack ack ack ack kaa.

Here is a link to the Frog Dance at a Midsommer Festival in Sweden.. Check it out!   www.youtube.com/watch?v=si2IMV_JQXQ Or the 2009 world record version of the “little frogs” in , Leksand, Sweden where over 2000 people danced! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e3ft1YyUkYY&translated=1

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LadyBugs LifeCycles & Insects

No matter how briefly you contain bugs, ALWAYS include a moistened cottonball.  Like humans they will die with out water.

No matter how briefly you contain bugs, ALWAYS include a moistened cottonball. Like humans they will die with out water.

What Is an Insect?

Insects come in a wide variety of sizes, shapes, and colors.  Regardless of their differences, all insects have the following  four characteristics:

insect

Bees & Wasps are indeed Insects

1. All insects have – Three body parts—Head, Abdomen, and Thorax.

The thorax is behind the head and is the attachment point for the legs and wings.  The abdomen is behind the thorax and is used for digestion and reproduction. This is where protective “gear” like  stingers are found.

2. All insects have an exoskeleton that acts as a suit of armor to protect them

3. All insects have Six legs with joints

4. And finally, all insects have Two antennae

Many people mistake spiders, worms, and centipedes for insects. But, because they do not have the required four characteristics, ladythey are not insects. Spiders, for example, have eight legs, while worms don’t have any.

Is a ladybug an insect? Yes

Is a ladybug a beetle?  YES.

Beetles exhibit bilateral symmetry.

Do you know how many Spots a ladybug can have?

Go here to find the answer and see for yourself.

Ladybug Life Cycle –

Just like all beetles, ladybugs go through different stages of life. Young ladybugs actually don’t look anything like the pretty red and black adult ladybugs we are all used to seeing. If you saw one that wasn’t an adult yet, you might not even recognize it. The stages that ladybugs go through are all steps in a very complex process called metamorphosis. (Butterflies, moths and amphibians like frogs go through metamorphosis too!)

Parklifecycle

All photos are from our Park.  The children found ladybugs in all four stages of their life cycle.  What great Nature investigators we have!!!
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Eggs layed on bark of tree

Stage 1: Egg

A female ladybug lays a cluster of tiny yellow eggs.  After about one week, the eggs will hatch and small odd-looking creatures appear! Eggs are usually layed on edible leaves.

Stage 2: Larva

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Larva Stage of the Ladybug

The odd-looking creatures that hatch out of the eggs are called larva (plural is larvae). They have long bodies with six legs and are mostly black with some color.   They look like mini – Monsters. The ladybug will live as a larva for 2-4 weeks of its life.  In this time, Ladybug larva can eat up to 400 aphids! When the larva has grown as much as it needs to, it attaches itself to a leaf, tree or wall in our case, to get ready for its next stage of life.

IMG_8990Stage 3: Pupa

The Pupa form which is similar to a butterfly’s chrysalis, will remain attached to one surface for 5 days while it changes into an adult. The pupa does not eat or move because it stored up plenty of food in its body while it was a larva.

Stage 4: Adult

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I released 1,500 ladybugs for the kids to catch purchased at a local gardening store as organic pest control.

When ready, the fully formed ladybug as we know it backs out and leaves the pupa shell behind.  It now has two sets of wings. One set of wings is the hard brightly-colored part that helps us recognize ladybugs. This hard set of wings is called the elytra (say: EL-LIE-TRA) and it protects the fragile flying wings underneath. When the pupa hatches as a new adult ladybug, it doesn’t have any spots yet and its elytra are wet, soft, and pale colored. They will dry out during the ladybug’s first day as

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an adult and it will soon be a pretty bright color with spots! Ladybugs can actually be red, orange, or yellow!  Scientists have counted over 5,000 different kinds of ladybugs in the world!

As an adult, the new ladybugs can eat up to 75 aphids a day. Towards the end of the summer, ladybugs like to eat pollen and some types of plants so that they can store up fat for the winter. During the winter, ladybugs hibernate. To stay warm, they usually huddle together in groups and bury themselves under piles of leaves, grasses, or rocks for protection from winter weather. When spring arrives, the ladybugs will begin to wake up and come out looking for a tasty meal of aphids! They will begin to lay eggs that will grow into more ladybugs.

Time to Catch some insects at the Park!

MotorizedInsectCatcherweb

Here's one for $30.

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YouTube BugCatcher

Do you know that it is rather easy to injure an insect?  You could accidentally break off an antennae, a leg or possibly harm their wings, any of which prevent them from protecting themselves from predators.  One the best ways to catch an insect (at least one smaller than the opening of a straw) is with a bug catcher.  They can cost anywhere from $9-$80.   or  you can just build  your own.  I recommend the glass jar sort with straws and a bit of loosely woven cloth. This is what we made. Or if you want  to go with plastic cups and lids, here’s your best bet.

On this day, we made our own Bug IMG_8352IMG_8353Catchers and caught many different types of bugsIMG_8350 by safely (to us and them) sucking them into our bug catchers.  The only modification we made to our homemade catchers was to add a bright piece of paper or tape to the straw that had the gauze on it.  This meant it was the SAFE straw to suck upon and with the gauze we would  not accidentally inhale a bug that had previously been captured in our container.IMG_8343IMG_8323

Whenever you capture an insect, always include a cottonball that you have liberally moistened.  Most insects can easily go with out food for a day or two, but rarely can they go with out water.

For More Ladybug Fun and Insect Investigations go to this great homeschooling site.

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A bug Catcher in Action! Love it D!!!

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