Exploring Outdoors – Frog hunting
We’re back out in our garden this week for our Exploring outdoors post and venturing beyond our safety gate to the wilderness that is our back-garden. This week it’s the wildlife pond and J’s favourite creature of all time (his obsession really) FROGS!!!!!
His obsession started shortly after T was born last March when to keep him entertained whilst I fed T Rainy Day Dad and various grandparents would take him to look at the frogs, frog spawn, tadpoles and froglets in the pond. His birthday cake and cupcakes were Frog themed last year as well.
Well this week we’ve been back to the pond as whilst gardening we spotted that the frogs were back. So last weekend in the glorious sunshine we headed out to hunt for frogs (it’s been repeated at least 3 or 4 times a day since) and looked for frogs.
We only ever go past the gate supervised as although the pond is very shallow it is still dangerous especially for toddlers and babies, but the joy and exploration of nature that it brings each year is worth the -sometimes- hassle of yet again go looking for frogs. The pond is full of different native plants which we let form a cover but each year cut down and thin out. It is also shaded to provide protection from the sun which can get quite intense in the summer as the area faces south. We’ve planted native plants and bog plants around it and at the moment have native spring plants popping up their heads behind it making it a lovely area to go and visit.
We take the opportunity to talk about how many frogs in the pond – one of the great things about frogs early in the spring is that they come in pairs so we can start to introduce counting in 2’s.
Our frogs are a little behind the ones on the field near us which have already laid Spawn but I can’t wait until they do as then we can start to investigate the life cycle of the frogs properly and not just from books.
This was an unbirthday present for J from Nannie and Grandad Frog (yes he’s actually nick named his grandparents Nannie and Grandad Frog!) and is a great story of a frog that hits his head and forgets who he is and tries to be lots of different animals on the way to finding out who he is.
We really like the sound effects in the book and the pop up’s as well.
Cerys Parker
Cerys is a marine biologist, environmental educator, teacher, mum, and home educator from the UK. She loves getting creative, whether it is with simple and easy crafts and ideas, activities to make learning fun, or delicious recipes that you and your kids can cook together you'll find them all shared here on Rainy Day Mum.
That sounds like such a fun book, and he clearly adored hunting for frogs! Thanks for sharing with Learning Laboratory =)
frogs are a big thing especially as we now have frog spawn as well
You make such lovely adventures out of simple things in the garden. I love all your posts. I do hope you will link this one with Country Kids again this week
Thank you so much – have linked up again this week and what a great day the kids looked to have had in the stream
Wonderful posts and photos. What a great time. Frogs are so much fun. We enjoy hearing the bull frogs bellowing at night.
We used to have a pond right by the house and hear the frogs at night as well – no bullfrogs though, but decided it was a little too dangerous for the children.
What fun to have a pond so close to home!!! If we had one I KNOW my boys would want to be out there all the time! (we do have a swamp out back with teeny tiny penny frogs… which are tricky to catch but, it’s fun too) Great opportunities for exploration- I absolutely love it!
The pond is great – we’re trying to create a garden that is a fun place to grow up in and also kind to nature. I think I would love a swamp out the back (minus the mosquitoes of course)
You really do have an amazing garden. i would love to have so much wildlife in mine! A fab adventure!
Thanks for linking to Family frolics!