Frog Calls around the Frog Pond

When learning about frogs, children need many hands-on learning experiences to make their learning come alive. One day we were reading about the way that male frogs call to their mates in the early spring. We talked about how the male frog fills his vocal sac with air and then lets the air out like air being released slowly from a balloon. This discussion developed into the following game....

Male frogs call in the spring as they search for mates. Each species has it's own call.

...Frogs call with the help of a patch, or two patches , of skin called vocal sacs. These fill with air and act as echo chambers as that air passes over the vocal cords. The males do most of the calling, and the louder the sound, the farther it will carry to lure in females... -Discovering Amphibians by John Himmelman

Photo Credit: Down by the Frog Pond
in the Public Domain.

1. Divide the class into two groups, male and female frogs.

2. Pass out balloons to the male frogs.

3. The female frogs scatter throughout the playground, close their eyes and listen for the sound of the male frogs.

4. The the group of frogs with the balloons gather near water, blow up their balloons and start to make sounds by letting the air out of the balloons while stretching the neck of the balloons.

5. As soon as the females hear the males they hop over to the loudest one they can hear, tag that frog.

6. As soon as the male frog is tagged he stops calling.

7. The activity ends went all the frogs are paired and quiet.

Tadpole Lenses Spawned by Frog Unit Study

The Frog Unit Study has grown so large that it is beginning to grow tadpole lenses.You will find links to my other frog and frog related lenses throughout this page. Each one will have even more ideas and activities to extend your Frog Unit Study. Enjoy your hop back and forth throughout the frog pond of ideas.

This frog unit study has hundreds of ideas to make your study of frogs fun, creative and hands-on. Children will be creating a frog pond in the sensory table, discovering the plants and animals who live in the frog's habitat, learning the anatomy of frogs and how frogs hop and jump. Throughout the unit there are suggestions for books, ideas for teaching reading and writing skills as well as projects to extend their knowledge of social studies, music and art.

Often teachers and homeschoolers find it difficult to connect math with their unit studies. This Frog Unit Studies offers dozens of frog related math activities and games to make a fully integrated unit study.

Newest tadpole lenses that have been spawned by the Frog Unit Study include Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond and The Frog Report.

We have all heard of the pollution that is plaguing our planet. Industrial Waste in the Frog Pond is a short story of A Walk in the Woods to look for tadpoles in vernal pools. Read this story to the children and encourage them to write their own suspenseful stories of their adventures as you progress through your Frog Unit Study.


The second is a collection of news articles about the disappearance of frogs around the world, the studies scientists are doing to try to understand the situation as well as information on monitoring frogs and the ways you can join in the effort. This is a collection of stories that I have collected since 2008. I use them to help children get a broad perspective on the plight of frogs and other amphibians throughout the world and to see what others are doing to monitor and try to help the situation. Frog these reports we write our own reports of what we learn in our area and publish it in our own classroom or homeschooling newspaper, The Frog Report.

Robin in the Rain was just awarded a Purple Star!

Robin in the Rain!


just received a Purple Star !

Thank you Purple Star Squids for the honor of receiving a Purple Star!

Only a few purple stars are given out each week, to exceptional NEW lenses created by Giant Squids. Read all the goods and news about purple stars.








Robin in the Rain!


Robins are a Sign of Spring!
It's springtime and one of the most popular signs of spring is the robin. Robins, with their cheery tweets and bright red breasts stand out against the disappearing snow.

Cheerio, calls the robin as the rain starts to fall.

This lens is a unit study of robins that will get kids reading and writing, adding and investigating robins. Make up a robin dance or recite a robin poem. Put on your robin wings and fly on the wings of learning...

Frame Your Valentine in Adjectives

Get out some construction paper and cut out a lot of hearts. Now ask your child to find a picture of someone that they love. Ask him or her to describe that person or by filling in the blank, "I love your because your are..." . Each adjective that your child uses can then be written on a heart.

Now glue the picture onto the center of the paper and glue all the hearts around it. You might label this picture "I love you because you are..." and send it as a Valentine.

This is a fun and easy project for children of many different ages and would be wonderful to do as a homeschooling project.

One year we make Adjective Framed Valentines for each of the members of our family. We posted them around the mirror in the bathroom. As we brushed our teeth we reread each of the adjectives and soon even our preschooler was able to point to the adjectives and read them.

Adjectives: A Valentine's Day Unit Study has many more hands-on learning ideas.

Skip Counting in the Woods

Purple Trillium, Port Huron, Michigan, USA

Photographic Print

Adams, Claudia


Buy at AllPosters.com


One day we were walking in the woods and saw a patch of Trilliums. We used that opportunity to practice Skip Counting. We counted each flower and in the end had discovered how many petals there were.

As you look for flowers this spring, don't forget to practice skip counting.

Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid

Explore the way of life of a Vermont pioneer family at the end of the 18th Century as they turn wilderness into a thriving-self sufficient farm. Learn about transportation, clothing, wild and domestic animals, plants grown, communication and cultural clashes. Bring these times to life with hands-on projects and suggestions for integrating this theme into all areas of the curriculum.

This Unit Study is adaptable for all ages making it wonderful for any grade level, homeschool family or just anyone interested in exploring history.

The Teapot Dragon

There is a poem about The Teapot Dragon with a crinkly tail and pincer claws. It sticks out it's tongue and keeps the tea piping hot.

The Teapot Dragon is a poem that takes a child from reality to imagination. Start with The Teapot Dragon poem and explore imagery through words. Use those words to describe experiments with temperature and the tastes of various teas.

Pour out the tea from the Dragon's Teapot and write some dragon poetry.