Hands-on learning works wonders here on the Frontier, so anytime I can match a lesson with the outdoors it is going to be a hit.
On a hot, sticky day we invited our friends to Katie’s Landing State Park to do a class on tadpoles. Katie’s Landing is a beautiful hidden gem frequented by canoers and kayakers. We brought nets, buckets, and books. We also brought a spare catch of tadpoles just in case we did not catch any!
We had twelve kids wandering the shore, marveling at the surroundings. Most of them had never seen a tadpole up close, let alone catch one to watch it grow. They were excited. Buckets were being filled with brine shrimp, minnows, crawfish, and tadpoles. They were having such a good time discovering on their own that I did not need the lesson I had prepared. I just let them learn. Sometimes you have to know when to just let kids be.
Tadpoles can be studied at home. You do not have to trek to the water’ edge to find your specimens. After a rain, tadpoles can be found just about anywhere, even in a bird bath. Jars and plastic pet keepers make great tadpole habitats. Add a diet of fish food and watch the tadpoles grow!
Tips to remember:
- They grow quickly and will want to jump out of their container.
- Keep them through the stage of leg buds then set them free.
- The library is a great source for tadpole lifecycle information.
Books we have enjoyed:
- From Tadpole to Frog, Wendy Pfeffer
- Amazing Frogs & Toads, Eyewitness
- The Wide Mouthed Frog, Keith Faulkner
- Frogs, Toads and Turtles, Diane Burns
- All About Frogs, Jim Arnosky
- Pond and River, Eyewitness
- The Little Fish in a Big Pond, Child’s Play
Resources for this lesson
Grow tadpole chart
Tadpole lifecycle activity
How to raise frogs
How to take care of tadpoles Howcast video