From Tadpole to Frog, by Kathleen Weidner Zoehfeld

This non-fiction book with simple explanations and pictures.

Materials

Crystal jelly beads that grow in water
Green puff balls and tweezers
Frog counters (store bought or home-made)
Small fishnet or scoopers
Yardstick or tape measurer
Hula hoops

Vocabulary

Metamorphosis (to change or transform from one thing to another)
Use the glossary in the back of the book to help explain the key words.

Before Reading the Story

Make a copy of the following picture. https://thewildlifekingdom.tumblr.com/post/52929616919/handa-500px-tadpoles-by-bert-willaert Ask the children if they know what these things are? Where was this picture taken? Have you ever seen real tadpoles? Where did you see them?

On a piece of paper write, What we Know about tadpoles and frogs. Ask the children for any facts they may know and write them onto the paper. Keep the paper handy and do the same thing after you have read the story.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Reading the Story

On page 8, point out where the head and tail are forming. On page 10 note that fish have gills also and that is why they can breath under water. On page 16, point out the tiny legs and point to where the gills used to be. On page 18 note that people have lungs to breath air. Explain that with lungs the tadpole now has to come to the surface and breath air through its mouth.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

After Reading the Story

Ask the children to tell you all they things that they know about frogs, write their responses onto a piece of paper and hang it in your science center. (Frogs lay lots of eggs. Tadpoles can breath underwater but frogs have to breath through their mouth)

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Discovery

If you are lucky enough to have tadpoles in a nearby puddle or pond, bring them to school for the children to view. Make sure to put them back where you found them within 48 hours so they do not die.

Science/Scientific Methods & Skills; develops growing abilities to collect, describe, and record information through a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps, and charts.

Hang several metamorphosis pictures on the wall for the children to look at and discuss.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and abilities to observe, describe, and discuss the natural world, materials, living things, and natural processes.

Music and Movement

Have five children come to the front and act out Five Little Speckled Frogs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fF32P24lUCA

Play Leapfrog. Each child gets a partner. Child 1 squats down on her hands and knees while child 2 straddles and jumps over child 1. Switch positions and continue the action of straddling and jumping.

Physical Health & Development/GRoss Motor SKills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

LITTLE TADPOLE Sung to “Frere Jacques”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RXI7KEUbSxM

Little tadpole, Little tadpole
Lost his tail, lost his tail.
Now he has two feet
Now he has four feet
Look a frog! Look a frog!

Blocks

If you have frog counters, add them to the block center today. The children can play with them using blocks as logs. Ask the child to put 5 frogs on a log, 7 frogs, etc..

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to make use of one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Art

Cut out the tadpole pieces in many colors or using a variety of papers (I like to use old wrapping paper and magazine pages). Put the pieces out on the table along with a picture of a tadpole and challenge the children to collage one onto their paper using a glue stick.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; progresses in ability to put together and take shapes apart.

Sand and Water

Add a package of crystal jelly balls to the water today. Put out small fishnets and scoops. Start with dry crystal jelly beads and allow the children to add water to the center table. Listen to the children’s conversations as the beads start to grow. How do they feel when they are wet? What made them grow?

Science/Scientific Knowledge; shows increased awareness and befining understanding of changes in materials and cause-effect relationships.

Library and Writing

Use the frog and tadpole templates to make an alphabet matching game. On the tadpole write the lowercase letter and on the frog write the uppercase letter.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; shows progress in associating the names of letters with their shapes and sounds.

Dramatic Play

Tell the children that they are going to pretend to be jumping frogs. Explain that you are going to measure the length of their jumps with a yardstick to see how far they can go. Have a child squat down in a frog position and then jump. Try other jumps also. Have the child stand up and jump, measure. Have the child do a running jump and measure the length of their jump. Jump backwards.

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; shows progress in using standard and non-standard measures for length and area of objects.

Math and Manipulatives

Put out green puff balls and tweezers. Cut out 1-5 circles from green construction paper. Write a number 1-5 on each. The child uses the tweezers to put the correct amount of puffballs onto each lily pad.

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use one-to-one correspondence in counting objects and matching groups of objects.

Outdoor Play

Lay hula-hoops down on the ground at various short distances from one another. Encourage the children to pretend to be frogs and jump from one hula-hoop to another.

Physical Health & Development/GRoss Motor SKills; shows increasing levels of proficiency, control, and balance walking, climbing, running, jumping, hopping, skipping, marching, and galloping.

Tadpoles begin life breathing through gills and as they grow they breath through their lungs. Show children where their lungs are by having them put their hands onto their chest and feeling their lungs go in and out. Now have the children do some physical exercise for a few minutes and then feel their lungs again. What differences do they feel? (Lungs work harder and faster with exertion). Explain to the children that is good for their lungs and heart to work hard throughout the day, it is exercise for them.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.