• Curriculum Overview
• After School
• Events and Celebrations
• Service Learning and Partnerships
• Special Assemblies
• Mini Courses

by Annie Suchecki and Robin Lasersohn

We've seen "Frog and Toad" and now we've seen frogs and toads.

Have we ever! Kindergarteners hiked to the new pool, armed with nets, boots and Ridge's guidance to collect frogs and toads. All children braved the cold, slime, and queasy disgust and collected these amphibians along with hundreds of eggs. By the end of the day, we had researched, studied, observed, tamed, named, recaptured and returned all the frogs to the pool.

This serendipitous excursion has led the children to write poems about frogs, compare and contrast species, plum our classroom library for any mention of a frog, draw frogs, make predictions, discuss myths, and generally work toward becoming frog experts.

As a follow-up, and to explore the idea about whether we should try to rescue the frogs, toads, and eggs from the swimming pool, Gary Stolz, Ph.D., from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the Manager of the John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge, came to SRV for a visit. As a reptile and amphibian expert, he was able to answer all of our questions about frogs and toads and teach us more information about their habitat. He has advised us to carefully transfer the eggs and adult frogs to a pond, where they can thrive in a more natural setting. Since the pool will soon have to be drained, we have to make a plan and act fast. We'll keep you posted. We are becoming frog advocates as well as frog experts.