Yertle and turtles

We had the most amazing science lesson this weekend and, once again, I didn't plan ahead at all!  Love it when that happens!  I was driving down the road and, as the car in front of me had done too, I swerved some to miss... a turtle in the road!!  I used to see them all the time growing up, but now it seems like a person never does.  So I went half a mile down the road, turned around and went back.  I was a bit worried.  He had since been hit and was in the middle of the highway.  I approached carefully and was thrilled to see his shell was only slightly damaged and he was still alive!  I brought him (I guess it was a him anyway!) home and we put him in a box with about 2 ft high sides.  Added grass, clover, a little water, and bingo, we had a turtle habitat.  A little later I went out to the garage and he was upside down on the concrete.  Bummer!  We put him back in the box and moved the box in the shade on the ground.  He stuck around for a couple hours and the kids enjoyed him.  They put him on the grass, felt his shell and legs, saw him come in and out of the shell, learned they can climb pretty well (like out of a box), held him and in their own way learned about turtles.  There's no better way to learn than with a live creature.  It just isn't the same as peering through a fence at the zoo, or looking online or in a book.  However, we are going to get Dr. Seuss' Yertle the Turtle book to read.  What a perfect ending to our study.  Cole asked today (this happened Saturday) about the turtle and him and Lillian went out "exploring" to find him. He's a very smart turtle though; he's still hiding.  I told my Grandmother I wasn't sure I was really saving this turtle by taking him home to my children!  In the end I didn't save him.  He saved himself.