Life changes with the arrival of a little one. Suddenly your world revolves around this cooing, bright-eyed, helpless child that you’re assigned to protect and guide.

That’s a big job, to protect and guide. And though it may seem like you’re the one doing all the talking, lugging and learning those first few years, they are, in fact, critically important to your child’s development. A foundation for learning, behavior and attitude is being laid, and your sweet babe is soaking it all in.

Shelly Davis knows this all too well. She has raised two children of her own and has been running Davis Day Care for the past 11 years. She integrates gardening and a love of the outdoors into her program.

“I think it’s important incorporating nature into a child’s life because small children love bugs, birds, butterflies, flowers and growing their own vegetables and fruits. And what is there not to like about rocks?” Davis says. “I never tire of a good ladybug hotel project and spending hours planning a honeysuckle fort.”

Children at Davis Day Care watch in wonder as owner Shelly Davis' Muskogee duck named Pablo grabs a bite to eat. Pictured, from left, are Madison Reams, 5; Olivia Rice, 5; Callie Holt, 2; Mary Carr, 5; and Kyla Johnson, 2. I

Davis is sweet, bubbling over with goodwill and anxious to give me a tour of the yard and regale me with past experiments and future gardening projects.

“Understanding and appreciating nature is a wonderful foundation in perceiving how we are all connected and related,” she says. “A lot of responsibility is learned by taking care of the earth.”

Davis came from a gardening background; her mother was a Master Gardener.

“When I was little (my mother’s) squash plants were so big I thought there was radiation in our ground,” Davis recalls. “She and I still garden together. I visit her and we look at seed catalogs, drink coffee and enjoy the greenhouse that extends off her home.”

Gardening does do wonders for children. It encourages self-esteem, pride, cooperation and task management.

“They learn patience, because in the garden nothing happens overnight,” Davis says. “They learn about science and the nutritional needs for the plant so it can provide nutrients to us and the birds and insects that eat it. They also learn not to fear spiders, bugs and bees, but to be cautious and respectful.”

As parents know, children have very strong opinions. This can be a curse when you’re trying to hurry out the door and they insist upon wearing a bathing suit in February. An adaptable parent might pull the suit on over a wool sweater (hey, it could be a trend next season). This is similar to how Davis rolls with the ebbs and flows of a 2-year-old’s mind.

“I had one child who was a digger. He dug and dug and planted an entire fall garden for me,” she says. “We gauge what to do by the children’s interests in the outdoors. If you start going outside with children early, they never want to come inside unless they are hungry, cold or hot. That is the way that it should be.”

The kids at Davis Day Care grow flowers to attract butterflies and birds. They plant herbs like parsley, dill and fennel for caterpillars. They sow vegetables like tomatoes, cucumbers, ornamental corn and gourds and carrots. They created living ornaments for the holidays with moss and seeds in clear orbs.

They’re in the process of prepping an old iron bench for a colorful paint job. Then it will become an annual bed for flowers. A strawberry patch and a slew of preying mantises lurk around the landscape. A conifer tree has been trimmed into perfect rungs for climbing to the top of the world.

But it may be the wild animals that get the most attention from this 4-foot-and-under crowd.

A couple of years ago, Davis discovered a caiman sitting in her front yard, which became a source of great entertainment and amusement for the kids until it was removed by Lawrence police, firefighters and animal control officers. They have Lizzie the lizard, although she is more on the periphery because of her nasty biting habit. Beyond the reptiles, there are a plethora of birds attracted to the rather large pond across the street.

“Each year when the eagles migrate, we see one or two circling our pond,” Davis says. “Last year we laid in the grass watching the majestic birds; it was better than cloud composing. We had some mallards that followed the kids around. We have even raised a duck, Pablo the duck.”

While we are outside visiting, a falcon flies overhead, Davis is the only one to notice and points it out to the kids and me. Five red noses look up from under layers of clothes to see the bird float through the air.

We would have missed the moment if not for the watchful eye of Davis. With any luck, there are people in every child’s life who get them outdoors and running with the wild things.