My first pet in Paris: la coccinelle

My son asked for a dog, but as we live in a small apartment in Paris this just didn't seem like the best option. So we got him ladybugs! While the thought of a raising bugs is a bit strange or an infestation, frightening - the benefits are many. My son gets to witness the entire life cycle of a ladybug as they arrive as larvae, mature and even reproduce in captivity. He is responsible for their nutrition (it resembles fish food). And in the Spring, when they are fully developed, we will release them into the wild (most likely the park Saint Cloud near Versailles).

The ladybug kit, "La cocciboîte" is available here in France (38 euros).

More photos below.

The kit came with a few leaflets and diagram of the ladybug. We also found a board book published by Piccolia with flaps called La Coccinelle which is great. My son made his own habitat for his ladybugs by drawing vegetation that we used to replace the background photo provided with the aquarium. Now we are just watching them eat and grow.