My son once came home from a birthday party with tadpoles in a baggie instead of candy in a loot bag.

I dedicate this study to that creative mother.
-Nathalie Creamer

Tadpoles!

Part A

With the group start a KWL chart

Visit Story Jumper www.storyjumper.com and read
The Life Cycle of a Frog

http://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/12383442/The-Life-Cycle-of-a-Frog#

Ask the children
"what can we add to our chart?"

Bring in the tadpoles!

Have the children sketch what they see. Repeat this weekly to capture the changes they see.

Have the children make a graph or chart showing which tadpole is at what stage of development.

Finger plays and transitional songs can be frog themed.

Once the children are familiar with the topic introduce second story jumper book to advance their vocabulary.

http://www.storyjumper.com/book/index/14731712/The-Life-Cycle-of-a-Frog#

Displaying their findings.

Part B

Music & Movement

Details

• This is a fun fingerplay
• Small or large group activity
• Requires no special equipment and a minimum of space.

Do this...

• participants hold up five fingers to start the song.
• They rub their tummies when the sing "yum yum"
• They do a stationary two footed jump at the appropriate part of the song.
• They fold down one of their own fingers showing that there is now one fewer frogs on the log.

LYRICS
Five green and speckled frogs sat on a speckled log
Eating some most delicious bugs -- yum yum!
One jumped into the pool where it was nice and cool
Then there were four green sand speckled frogs.

DPA (daily physical activity)

Details

• Small or large group activity
• Requires no special equipment and a minimum of space.

Do this...

• Teacher tells the story
• Teacher models yoga poses
• Story transitions from one phase of tadpole development to the next

First you are an egg. A tiny tadpole in a frog egg. You start in Child’s pose with your hands holding your ankles and slowly sweep your hands so that they are facing the top of your mat.

Then you stretch out, keeping your legs together since they are your tail. Stretch, stretch, stretch!

Walk your feet to your hands and discover that you have grown two legs! Hold on to your brand new feet and straighten your legs.

Now stand tall and take a deep breath. Feel your lungs taking in air for the very first time.

Stretch your hands above your head and bend to one side really bend right through your tail.

Now your tail has fallen off and you are a full grown frog ready to look for flies to eat. Sit very still and look for those flies!

Finally, you need a rest from all that fly gazing so have a frog seat, close your eyes and breathe deeply.

Literacy

Details

• Small group or individual activity
• Requires worksheet, pencil, colouring medium

Do this...

• Review the componetns of the worksheet with the child(ren)
• Encourage them to replicate the words on the form (practice printing)
• Have them color in the images
• Ask open ended quesitons about each of the four stages to encourage recall.

Untitled Slide

Part C

Near the tadpoles set out some rocks, pretend water and frog toys.

In an aquarium or sensory table set out the tadpoles and some rocks that protrude from the water.

Books

Some book ideas

• The Icky Sticky Frog by Dawn Bentley
• Jump, Frog, Jump by Robert Kalan
• From Tadpole to Frog by Wendy Pfeffer
• National Geographic Readers: Frogs!
• The Hungry Frog - Interactive Counting Book by Jennifer Hier

Untitled Slide