Frogs

Observing tadpoles change into frogs is a great learning experience for children. Planet Frog , a live frog habitat, is a great product to use to help in this discovery process.

Observe the tadpoles everyday and write down your observations. Have a discussion with the children about what they know about ponds, tadpoles and frogs. Have each child think about a question they want answered about frogs. You may want to focus on "Are tadpoles fish?" and "Why do they change?" The tadpoles will be changing rapidly and the life cycle is a fascinating topic. After your observation time each day, read books about fish and amphibians to the children. Make a chart listing the differences between them so the children can see why the frogs are amphibians and to understand what an amphibian is.


As the tadpoles swim around the water, the children will be amazed at how quickly the tadpoles will change. Document the changing tadpoles every day by drawing what they see. The next two to four weeks will be the most important and exciting period in the tadpole's life. Front legs will emerge. Feeding will stop. It will breathe entirely through its lungs and its head and internal organs will undergo extreme structural changes. You will notice that the tadpole's front legs are now fully developed, its tail is beginning to shrink and it is starting to come partially out of the water.

You can also take field trips to local ponds to see if what is happening in your "pond" occurs in real ponds. Introduce students to the concept of the pond as a habitat and start looking for other aspects of pond life. You can prepare slides with pond water to look for microscopic animals in the water using a video screen microscope like the VideoScope.

Check the children's progress by developing several activities to see if they understand the life cycle and characteristics of amphibians. First, make cards showing the different stages of a frog's life cycle. Second, present the students with picture cards of different body parts of many amphibians, fish, mammals and insects. Ask the children to build a frog and to put their frog into one of four habitat backgrounds (sky, ocean, pond scene and forest).


Don't forget safety first! Teach children how to study animals safely. Show children pictures of what "germs" look like under a microscope and introduce the term, bacteria. Explain that germs are invisible and help them understand how bacteria travel. The strategy to prevent bacteria from spreading to you or from you to the frogs is to wash your hands before and after your observation studies. Discuss how to treat animals carefully and how to be gentle with animals so they will not be squished or dropped.