Are you a Frog?

One day we walked down to the frog pond and noticed a frog sitting on a lily pad. My son became fascinated. He crouched down and began to imitate the frog. Are you a frog? I asked him. He just sat there, like the frog, and blinked.

Preschoolers can be amazing observers of nature. That day, my son sat there imitating the frog for a very long time. Suddenly, the frog hopped off into the water with a splash. How that surprised us!

We started talking about what we had observed then we drew the frog in our Nature Journals. This day my son drew not only the frog but also himself being a frog.

Touch your tongue. Is it long and sticky?

Feel the top of your head. Are there two bulgy eyes like marbles up there?

Are your eyes on the top of your head? Are you a frog?

These are some of the questions we posed to ourselves as we sat by the frog pond. These are questions that can be found in a cute little book about frogs by Ann Milton called Ask Me If I'm a Frog.

We used this experience of observing the frog at the pond with the story, Ask Me if I'm a Frog to learn about the anatomy of frogs, compare it to the anatomy of humans and create a Venn Diagraph of these comparisons. You can lean more about our conclusions at Characteristics of Frogs.

Frog's tongues are long and sticky. They flip their tongues out to catch flying insects. It is very hard to see a frog's tongue flick out and in because they are so fast. Try flicking your tongue in and out. Could you catch a fly?

Frog's tongues are sticky so that flies and other insects stick to it. If you stick your tongue out do things stick to it?

Frogs curl their tongues up into their mouths while they wait for their next meal to fly by. Is that the way you store your tongue for the next meal?

• If you add Velcro to the end of your party favor felt flies and other insects may stick to it.
• If you make a large frog on your bulletin board with a long sticky tongue you could attach words related to your frog unit study on insect shaped cards.

Stick your tongue out as far as you can. Now look in the mirror. Can you stick it out as far as a frog can?

Get some party favors and blow into them to see how a frog's tongue unrolls to catch a bug. Children love to play. Playing helps children to understand what they are learning.

By blowing the party favors, children can experience the way a frog's tongue rolls in and out.

Now let's check out a frog's eyes. Look at the size and shape of a frog's eyes. Did you notice how a frog's eyes bulge out of the top of its head. When the frog blinks its eyes bulge out like a bump in a blown up balloon.

Watch the video again. Did you notice how the frogs eyes contract into its head whenever it blinks? Also notice how it can blink one eye separately from the other.

• Blow up a thin-skinned balloon. Can you make it bulge out in a spot or two like a frog's eyes?
• Compare the frog's eyes with your own. Do your eyes bulge out of your head?

Now feel the top of your head. You will notice that a frog's eyes are very difference from our own. Our eyes don't stick out nor do they pop up. We would have a difficult time blinking just one eye at a time the way this bullfrog does.

Frogs are amphibians so that means that they breathe through their skin and must keep it moist in order for the oxygen to pass through the tissue.

As humans we also need to keep our skin moist but not nearly as much as a frog.

• To experience the effects of moist skin and the way it can absorb try holding your hands in water for an extended period of time. Do the dishes or take a bath. Look at your hands both before and after keeping them in the water. Can you tell that your hands have absorbed water?