Grow a Frog!

This activity helps children observe the life cycle of a frog. The activity also helps children practice patience and the skills of observation.

Come on!

What are you waiting for?!

Go grow a frog!!!

What You Will Need:

• Tadpoles (collected from a local pond)
• Aquarium or other container
• Pond Water
• Magnifying Glass (optional)
• Accordion Book Template (optional)

What You Do:

• Visit a local pond early in the Spring and look for frog or toad eggs. Frog eggs look like a mass of jelly and toad eggs look like long strings of dark colored beads.
• Scoop the eggs into a container, then place the water and eggs into an aquarium. Please be careful when scooping water from the pond. Adult supervision is required!
• Place your aquarium in a bright area, but not in direct sunlight. You will need to change the aquarium water once a week, using water from the pond that you collected the eggs from. (Please note: Water from your faucet will not work – you must use water collected from a pond).
• Observe your frog or toad eggs on a daily basis, making notes of any changes you see. Our Accordion Book Template makes a nice timeline booklet to record your observations in. We recommend you use a magnifying glass to look closely at the eggs.
• Tadpoles are herbivores. When your tadpoles hatch, you will need to add water plants or decaying lettuce for them to eat. Record the date your frogs or toads hatched and include your observations.
• Your tadpoles will begin to grow back legs first, followed by their front legs. This process of growth is called metamorphosis. When the tadpoles have grown their back legs, they become carnivorous and you will need to provide a diet of meat for them to eat. You can place a small piece of meat in the water, or feed the tadpoles small bits of cat or dog food. Froglets in the wild primarily eat insects such as grasshoppers, flies and mosquitoes. They also like to eat worms, slugs and spiders.
• Over several weeks, the tadpoles will begin to lose their tails and will start to breath air. You will need to place rocks in the aquarium so the young frogs can climb out of the water to rest. You may need to put a cover on your aquarium to keep the frogs inside!
• When your tadpoles have completed their growth into frogs, it is time to release them back to the pond where you found them. Record the date that you released your frogs, and you will have a record for the following year!

Variations:

• Tadpoles generally emerge about a week after the eggs have been laid. In about eight weeks, your tadpoles will begin to grow their back legs. At twelve weeks, their front legs will begin to grow. At approximately 14 weeks, tadpoles begin to lose their tails and start to look more like a small frog. After 16 weeks, your tadpole will look like a frog, and will continue to grow and become an adult frog.
• Use a ruler to measure the length of your tadpole, and ultimately the size of your frog. Record these measurements in your timeline booklet. If you have more than one tadpole, note the changes and differences between each tadpole – did one grow faster than another?

One-Step Further

• See if you can identify the kind of frog or toad you are helping to grow. A great website for identification and additional information is eNature. Here, you can search for frogs and toads in your area, and learn more about their habitat and behavior.
• Do some research! See if you can find out what the difference is between frogs and toads. Can you find which frog is the largest in the world? The smallest in the world?
• There are lots of myths about frogs and toads – see if you can find a few myths about frogs (or toads) and warts. Do frogs really bring good luck? Can it really rain frogs?
• Want more information? The Center for Global Environmental Education has a program called “A Thousand Friends of Frogs”. This website includes teacher’s guides, activities for children, and much more to help learn about our friendly frogs!