Frogs

AREA SETUP

(Open thematic poster-Frogs) Print, laminate, and decorate the walls of your daycare with all kinds of posters.

Educa-decorate-Frogs

(Open educa-decorate-Frogs) Print, laminate, and cut out the various items. Use them to decorate your daycare and set the mood for the theme. Hang plastic frogs from the ceiling. Set a vivarium in a corner of the daycare and deposit a plastic frog inside. Children will immediately be attracted to this area as they arrive in the morning.

SPECIAL TOOL

This special tool was created in response to a special request received. (Open name tags-Frogs) Print.

CIRCLE TIME

My frog-themed hat

(Open educa-decorate-Frogs) Print and cut out the illustrations. Glue them on a straw hat. Add green Easter straw and other accessories that remind you of nature. Hide a plastic frog in your hands and reveal a tiny bit of it to your group. Open your hands during circle time to introduce your theme.

Hopping discussion
During circle time, encourage children to take turns hopping like a frog to create a frog "wave".

PICTURE GAME
(Open picture game-Frogs) Use the pictures to decorate your daycare or to spark a conversation with your group. Print, laminate, and store the pictures in a Ziploc bag or in your thematic bin.

ACTIVITY SHEET
(Open activity sheets-Frogs) Print and follow instructions.

WRITING ACTIVITIES
(Open writing activities-F like frog) Print for each child or laminate for use with a dry-erase marker.

Stationery-Frogs
(Open stationery-Frogs) Print. Use the stationery to communicate with parents, in your writing corner, or to identify your thematic bins.

VARIOUS WORKSHOPS-Frogs

Have fun with these wonderful workshop ideas provided by Caroline Allard.

Construction/building blocks:

• Offer marsh and forest-coloured blocks (brown and green).
• Forest animals.
• Reptiles and frogs.
• Objects found in nature such as tree branches, pine needles, pinecones, etc.

Arts & crafts:

• Green and brown cardboard.
• An easel and green poster paint for painting frogs.
• Paper plates to make frog masks.

Role play:

• At the pet shop: cages, aquarium, plastic plants, plastic animals, empty boxes of food for various types of animals, etc.
• The marsh: Plastic plants and animals, reptiles, safari-style costume complete with a hat and binoculars, etc.

Manipulation:

• Memory game with educatall frog illustrations.
• Frog-themed lotto game.
• Green and brown modeling dough to represent frogs and their habitat.
• Puzzles related to the theme.

Drawing:

• Coloring pages related to the theme.
• Creative coloring.
• Encourage children to draw on green or brown paper.
• Stencils for tracing frog shapes.

Pre-reading:

• Books about frogs.
• A picture book with pictures of different types of frogs or old National Geographic magazines.
• A poster showing different types of frogs and reptiles to decorate your reading corner.

Pre-writing:

• Activity sheets related to the theme.
• Mazes.
• Connect the dots worksheets.
• Explore the letter F like frog.

Motor skills:

• Create an obstacle course and have children complete it while hopping like frogs.

Science:

• Transform a manipulation bin to represent a vivarium. Fill it with rocks, water, tree branches, and a few plastic frogs or reptiles.

LANGUAGE ACTIVITIES

Word flashcards

Use the flashcards to spark a conversation with your group, in your reading and writing corner, or to identify your thematic bins. (Open word flashcards-Frogs) Print. eggs, frog, tadpole, bullfrog, toad, tongue, fly, lily pad, to hop, to swim, pond, green

ACTIVITIES FOR BABIES

Jello-O bin
Prepare blue raspberry and lime-flavoured Jell-O and cut it into cubes. Use a little less than the recommended amount of water for firm cubes. Deposit the cubes in a container along with plastic frogs. Little ones will enjoy manipulating this texture.

Hop, hop, hop
Have fun hopping around the daycare with little ones.

I can croak like a bullfrog
Have fun imitating the sound of a bullfrog (and other animals) with your group. This is an excellent exercise for language development.

PHYSICAL ACTIVITY AND MOTOR SKILLS

Lacing-Frogs
(Open lacing-Frogs) Print, laminate, and make holes around the contour of each shape. Children can use string or shoelaces to lace the shapes.

Fly toss
(Open fly toss) Print and laminate. Glue the large frog on heavy cardboard and cut out its mouth. Glue the flies on the tops of frozen juice cans. Encourage children to toss the flies in the frog's mouth to feed it.

I am a frog
Give each child a party horn (one that rolls out). Glue Velcro on the tip of the horn and on tiny plastic insects (or use small insect illustrations). Children try to catch the insects with their frog tongue.

My lily pad path
(Open numbered lily pads) Print and laminate. Arrange the lily pads on the floor to create a path and have children hop from one lily pad to the next in numerical order. You may also have children count backwards on their way back to their starting position. The lily pads can also be used to play musical lily pads.

Frog hop
Use jumping ropes to make children hop and jump like frogs.

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Long jump
Organize a long jump competition in your sandbox. Have children stand near the edge and jump as far as possible in a single frog jump. Mark the spot where each child lands and measure the distance.

Pond hop
Set a bluish-green blanket or piece of cardboard on the floor to represent a frog pond. Have children jump over it.

Giant lily pads
Set hula hoops (lily pads) on the floor. Children will enjoy hopping in them. You can even place some so they are standing up. Children will crawl through them, just like swimming frogs.

Frog pond
Set a kiddie pool on the floor and fill it with different sizes of plastic frogs. Let children toss them in the pool or simply manipulate them.

ACTIVITIES INVOLVING PARENTS

Thematic bag
Fill a small bag with a frog puppet and a storybook about a frog. Encourage parents to read the story to their child at home. The thematic bag may also contain a frog-themed memory or picture game.

Green like a frog
Invite parents to prepare a list of green items with their child. Compare the lists during circle time the following day.

COGNITIVE ACTIVITIES

Educ-math-Frogs
(Open educ-math-Frogs) Print and laminate for durable, eco-friendly use. Children must count the items in each rectangle and circle the corresponding number.

Hunt and seek-Frogs
(Open hunt and seek-Frogs) Print and laminate. Children pick a card and search for the item in the scene.

Magnifying glass game-Frogs
(Open magnifying glass game-Frogs) Print and laminate the board game and the cards. Cut them out and store them in a box or bag. Children pick a card and then search for the item on the board game using a magnifying glass. When they find a match, they set the card in the corresponding square on the board game.

Educ-big and small-Frogs
(Open educ-big and small-Frogs) Print and laminate. Children must determine the correct order for the cards, from smallest to biggest, and arrange them in the squares.

Puzzles-Frogs
(Open puzzles-Frogs) Print and laminate. Children must place the pieces to recreate each scene.

What's missing?
Arrange several plastic frogs on a table and have children observe them closely. Cover them with a piece of fabric and remove one frog. Children must identify the missing frog.

MORAL AND SOCIAL ACTIVITIES

I can croak like a bullfrog
Have fun imitating the sound of a bullfrog (and other animals) with your group. This is an excellent exercise for language development.

EARLY SCIENCE

The frog pond
Transform a manipulation bin to represent a frog pond. Fill it with rocks, water, sand, and a few plastic plants, frogs, and reptiles. Add lily pads cut out of Fun Foam and let children explore the contents of the bin.

CULINARY ACTIVITIES

Marsh snack
Prepare small bowls of blue raspberry and lime-flavoured Jell-O. Add jelly frogs and fish to the bowls before the Jell-O is completely set. Enjoy as a special snack.

Edible lily pads
Spread cream cheese (add blue food coloring to it first) on an English muffin to represent a pond. Arrange two or three slices of cucumber or zucchini on top to represent lily pads. Add a few jelly frogs and eat away!

Frog drink
Add a scoop of lime sherbet (or any green ice cream) to each child's glass. Pour 7-Up on top and add raisins or candies to represent frog eyes.

Frogs' legs
Serve frogs' legs as part of your lunch menu.

ARTS & CRAFTS

The wide-mouthed frog
Give each child a paper plate and have them paint the bottom of their plate with green paint and the inside of the plate with red paint. Once the paint is dry, fold it so the red section is inside. Glue two large eyes on the top portion along with two dots to represent the frog's nose. Add a long red construction paper tongue. Each child will have his/her own wide-mouthed frog.

Frog mask
Give each child a paper plate and help them cut an opening near the bottom of the plate (the mouth). Let children color and decorate their mask as they see fit, making sure they draw a mouth outline around the opening. Attach a piece of string or elastic on either side so children can wear their mask. Insert a party horn (that rolls out) in the opening. When children wear their mask, they can stick out their frog tongue.

Frog mosaic
(Open models-Frogs) Print for each child. Cut scraps of tissue paper into tiny pieces. Have children stick them on a frog shape using white glue (or glue sticks with younger children). Allow to dry before displaying on a wall.

Mandalas-Frogs
(Open mandalas-Frogs) Print for each child. Encourage children to color the mandalas as part of a calm activity.

Puppets-Frogs
(Open puppets-Frogs) Print the models on heavy cardboard. Have children cut them out and decorate them with a variety of materials. Glue a Popsicle stick behind each model to create puppets.

Frog paintings
Set up easels and provide poster paint. Ask children to paint frogs, lily pads, marshes, etc.

Lily pads
(Open models-Lily pads) Print. Encourage children to practice their cutting skills by cutting out the lily pads.

CREATIVE COLORING

(Open creative coloring-Frogs) Print for each child. Have children complete the drawing.

COLORING PAGES

(Open coloring pages theme-Frogs) Print for each child.

SONGS & RHYMES

(Open songs & rhymes-I'm a little froggy)

I'm a little froggy

By: Patricia Morrison Sung to: I'm a little teacup

See me hop
Here are my legs
Here is my tongue
When I'm feeling hungry
I stretch it out
To catch a fly and then hop away

Have fun

The Educatall team