• Home
  • About Me
  • PR Friendly
    • Site Statistics
  • Copyright, Disclosure & Privacy Policy
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Kid Crafts
    • Valentine’s Day Crafts & Activities
    • Easter Crafts & Activities
    • Summer Crafts & Activities
    • Halloween Activities & Crafts
    • Thanksgiving Crafts
    • Christmas Crafts & Activities
  • Dr. Seuss Activities
  • STEM Activities
  • Games for Kids
    • Shark Games for Kids
  • Shop

Nature Study: Tadpoles

June 4, 2015 by OneMommy

This summer we are enjoying aweekly Nature Study for Kids.

The second week found us with magnifying glasses and buckets, headed to the pond to hunt for tadpoles.

 

Nature Study: Tadpoles

 

We are lucky enough to have a pond, which is full of tiny tadpoles each spring.  Want to hunt tadpoles?  Check out a local pond (maybe one at a park?), lake, or creek near you.

Usually we just enjoy watching the tadpoles there at the pond, collecting bucketfuls of the wiggling creatures and using magnifying glasses to check out tiny legs.

This year, however, we came across a huge bullfrog tadpole and decided to bring it home for a few days to observe more closely.

bullfrog tadpole study

 

 

After getting our tadpole set up in his temporary home, we got out a ruler to see how big he was.  Measuring a wiggly tadpole isn’t easy!  We discovered our tadpole is a little longer than three inches.

Then we got out colored pencils and carefully sketched the tadpole in our school journals.  Do you see all those black spots?  I loved watching the kids carefully duplicate those dots on their drawings.

 

If you choose to bring home a tadpole, here are some helpful tips:

  • Choose a clear container to put your tadpoles in so you can see them from all angles.
  • Bring home enough of the pond or creek water for your tadpoles to swim in.  Tap water should not be used since it contains chemicals that may harm the amphibian.
  • Tadpoles will eat boiled lettuce leaves.  Just boil the leaves for 8-10 minutes and let cool before adding them to the container.  We discovered our bullfrog tadpole really likes boiled spinach leaves from the garden.
  • You can use a turkey baster to clean the waste out of the tank every couple days.  (Just be careful not to suck up an tiny tadpoles!)
  • As tadpoles develop front legs they also start to develop lungs.  They will need a rock or something else to climb up on when that happens.
  • Keep in mind that it takes tadpoles a while to change into frogs, anywhere from 2 months to almost 2 years for a bullfrog tadpole.  If you decide you don’t want to keep the tadpole that long, try to release it in the same place you found it.  Ours will be swimming back in the pond soon; two years is a long time to take care of a tadpole!

 

Not sure you want to bring home the tadpoles?

Bring the magnifying glasses and observe them in their natural habitat!

 

kid study of frogs and tadpoles

 

You can find tadpoles and frogs in all sizes and shapes!

My daughter was thrilled to find this tiny frog.  If you look closely, you can see his tail is still there.

froglet: studying frogs and tadpoles

 

(She also found a tiny snail.  You never know what you may find!)

 

Materials that may be helpful:

This is our favorite magnifying glass (very durable) and the plastic aquarium is perfect for even the youngest scientist.

***

Be sure to check out last week’s ant observation.

You may also like this DIY Butterfly Feeder.

Filed Under: Kids Activities Tagged With: animals, fun with learning, learning outside, nature study

Comments

  1. Brandy @ Our Thrifty Home says

    June 10, 2015 at 3:30 pm

    Love this!

    We happened upon some tadpoles a few weeks ago, as well. Papa’s pond was inundated with tadpoles. We gathered a few and brought them home. We stopped all studies and started studying tadpoles.

    The kids are having a blast with their little friends and are curious whether they will be frogs or toads.

    Thanks for sharing!

    • OneMommy says

      June 15, 2015 at 4:20 pm

      You just have to grab those teachable moments! 🙂

Connect with me

Link to my Facebook Page
Link to my Pinterest Page
Link to my Twitter Page

Check Out My New Book & Popular Posts

Engineering Activities for Kids

how to make egg geodes

Straw Weaving -- weaving craft

how to make vanishing ghosts by melting packing peanuts

Search this site

Recent Posts

  • Make Learning Easier with DIY Math Manipulatives
  • Engineer a Truss Bridge with Craft Sticks
  • Dragon STEM Activities
  • Fun and Foamy Elephant Toothpaste Experiment
  • Shark Party Games — Perfect for Shark Week or a Shark-Themed Birthday Party

Proud Member

Women Online
Blog Meets Brand

Archives

Copyright © 2023 · Lifestyle Pro Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in