i am 45, i have a 5, 7, and 8 yearold. i found 2 kinds of mantis in our back yard 2 years ago, and have been keeping them since. the mantids are a good educational path for my kids. as well as way cool. my wife is from the Philippines, last time we were there we found a mantis and it was much larger than what we see here. we have chinese, little green with orange dots ( i've found 3 names for them?), giant asian, giant indian, stick, Creobroter Elongata, B. Mendica. we also found a katydid in the front yard, she is now laying eggs. they look cool, but do not seem to make good pets. and last we have a big cat named Bruce.