A Free Froggy Bonanza www.muddyfaces.co.uk

A Free Froggy Bonanza
by
www.muddyfaces.co.uk
Little Green Frog
(Stick out your tongue on every 2nd "Mm" and open mouth wide for any Aahh!)
Mm, Mm went the little green frog one day,
Mm, Mm went the little green frog,
Mm, Mm went the little green frog one day,
And they all went Mm, Mm, Aahh!
But!
We all know frogs go, (Clap)
Lahdeedahdeedah! (Clap)
Lahdeedahdeedah! (Clap)
Lahdeedahdeedah!
We all know frogs go, (Clap)
Lahdeedahdeedah!
They don't go Mm, Mm, Aahh!
.
Five Little Tadpoles
Five little tadpoles swimming near the shore.
The first one said, “Let’s swim some more.”
The second one said, “Let’s rest awhile.”
The third one said, “Swimming makes me smile.”
The fourth one said, “My legs are growing long.”
The fifth one said, “I’m getting very strong.”
Five little tadpoles will soon be frogs.
They’ll jump from the water and sit on logs
Eating.
Frogs use their sticky,
muscular tongue to
catch and swallow
food. Unlike humans,
their tongue is not
. the back of
attached to
its mouth, but is
attached to the front.
This enables the frog to
stick its tongue out
much further.
Breathing
Frogs breathe through
their nostrils while
also absorbing about
half the air they need,
through their skin.
They need to keep
their skin moist to
enable themselves to
breathe properly and
they secret mucus to
help do this; that is
why frogs are often
regarded as slimy.
Drinking
Instead of drinking
water, frogs soak it into
their body through
their skin.
Frogs and toads are
amphibians from the
same family, but they
are different species.
The skin of a toad is
generally dry and
bumpy. Toads are
toothless and usually
lay eggs in a long
string. The skin of a
frog is smooth and
they have small fish
like teeth and eyes,
that often protrude.
Frogs usually lay eggs
in a tight circular
group. (Pictured)
Clay Animals
We have a large bag of
natural clay for using in
our mud kitchen.
This type of clay has a
lovely slimy texture to
work with. Unlike kiln
dry clay, it is not very
strong when it dries out.
It often gets deposited
around the garden, so I
like to use this natural
clay, rather than an air
drying one . Many air
drying clays have added
fibres to give them
rigidity when the clay
has dried out.
Using a frog life cycle to
help us explore the
development stages, we
started to create our own
life cycle out of clay.
Rolling lots of little balls
for the frogspawn was
fun and pushing a felt tip
lid into each one created
the small black egg.
OPSTA22 School Buff Clay GWANI02 Life cycle of a frog www.muddyfaces.co.uk
To make the body, take a large piece of clay and mould into a sand timer shape. Squash it down
to make it flatter. Back legs, roll out two long sausages and flatten one end to create a flipper .
Squash onto the body then bend each sausage to create the legs of the frog. The front legs are
made in a similar way, only shorter.
Roll out two thin sausages and blend onto the back for ridges. Use two small clay balls blended
onto head for eyes.
Smooth off all the joins using water and allow to dry slightly before adding detail with a small
tool /pencil .
Once you have made your
clay frog, it is imperative
you take it to explore
around your garden. Don’t
forget the thing clay frogs
like most, is a little push on
the swing. Keep an eye out
for clay frog-eating birds
high up in the branches!
Painted frogs on
wood.
Paint the whole
area green, and
allow to dry.
Draw a central line
and nostrils in thin
black pen.
Larger black spots
and two yellow
spots for eyes,
allow to dry.
Put in final eye
detail to bring it
alive.
When making
resources I use
acrylic paints and
pens as they last
out in all weathers.
If doing wood
painting with
children, normal
poster paint works
fine.
Five little speckled frogs, sat on a hollow log,
Eating some most delicious bugs, Yum, Yum.
One frog jumped in the pool, Where it was nice and cool,
Now there are four green speckled frogs,
GGGGLLLLUUUUBBBB GGGGLLLLUUUUBBBB.
Create your own speckled frog set
We got a little carried away developing this idea. From the initial five speckled pebble frogs,
we ended up with an oak log, a pool and some unfortunate flies.
How to make up your own set. Paint up some pebbles using a non washable paint or even permanent markers-.
Number the frogs underneath 1,2,3,4,5. Find a bucket or tub - the deeper the better. Sing the song "Five little speckled
frogs", and plop the stones into the bucket as they jump into the cool pool. Lots of splishing and splashing! How about
mixing materials eg. a couple of pebbles and a couple of pieces of wood - it may stimulate a conversation about why
some frogs float and others sink. We chose to add some floating flies.
The boys were not too interested in the song, but played for ages bombing the flies and trying to sink them. If you get it
right, (or cheat by placing a frog on top of a fly carefully), a frog can hold a fly at the bottom of the bowl.
When the boys discovered the numbers on the bottom of the frogs they discussed about lining them up in order and
then jumping them into the pool one by one. They soon returned to the splashing and fly bombing frogs!
Frog in a Milk-Pail
A frog was hopping around a farmyard, when it decided to investigate what was in a metal pail.
Being a little too curious, he wanted to see what the white liquid in it was and oops he toppled
into the pail half-filled with fresh milk.
As he swam about, trying to reach the top of the pail, he found that the sides of the pail were
too high and steep to climb out. He swam down and pushed off the bottom of the pail but
found it too deep. He kicked his legs as fast as he could trying to propel himself out of the pail.
Whatever he did he just couldn’t escape. But this frog was determined not to give up, and he
continued to struggle. He kicked and squirmed and kicked and squirmed, until at last, all his
churning about in the milk had turned the milk into a big hunk of butter.
The butter was now solid enough for him to climb onto and get out of the pail!
Never give up!!
Useful links
One of the most common questions is, "What is the difference between Frogs and Toads?"
Most are surprised to hear that all toads actually are frogs! Find out more on the Frogland
website, a comprehensive and fun resource about frogs and toads.
Read about Bog Gardens and Mini-Ponds on the Froglife website Froglife Conservation of
amphibians and reptiles – frogs, toads, newts, snakes and lizards – and saving the habitats they
depend on. “Amphibians, particularly frogs, require damp habitats. Whatever your size of
garden, any kind of water related feature such as a bog garden area or mini ‘tub’ pond that’s
accessible will be beneficial to your local amphibians.
A bog garden can be a standalone feature or be a perfect habitat accompaniment alongside
your pond. A ‘tub’ style mini wildlife pond can be easier to install and manage than a larger
sized wildlife pond, and are generally considered safer for children.”
The Sticky Tongue Project “addressing biodiversity & conservation issues with a special focus on
reptiles & amphibians by engaging audiences using a unique multi-media approach” .
Amphibian & Reptile Conservation Trust Conserving amphibians and reptiles and saving the
disappearing habitats on which they depend.
ARG UK Amphibian & Reptile Groups of the UK Supporting 60+ ARG groups in the UK; local
contacts, ID guides, surveys etc.
Amphibian Specialist Group & Amphibian Survival Alliance Focusing on sites & habitats and
working to improve amphibian quality of life .