Bugs squish fun into toddler playtime in Lakewood Ranch

Dressed in an orange apron with her brown hair pulled into a ponytail in the middle of her head, Hope Fisher had her mother, Shannon Fisher, laughing.

The 3-year-old held a flower-shaped fly swatter in her right hand and had begun smearing it into a plate of blue, lavender, red and yellow paint. After the swatter was well coated, she raised it above her head and then swatted it down at the picture of fly before her.

"I got you fly," she said. 

Hope Fisher said it each time she hit the fly.

"She's cracking me up," Shannon Fisher said.

Hope and her older brother, 4-year-old Xavier Fisher, attended Risen Savior Lutheran Church's Mornings with Mommy Aug. 23.  The week's theme of "Bugs, Worms and Little Things," proved fascinating for the children in attendance. They dug up plastic bugs from a sandbox and examined them with a magnifying glass, painted flies and spiders, read books and enjoyed snacks and other activities.

The educational playdates for children up to 5 years old occur from 9:30-10:30 Wednesday and Thursday mornings at the Risen Savior Lutheran Church. Cost to attend is $5.