Now that Spring has officially “sprung”, we notice the world around us begin to turn to different shades of green. The grass, leaves on the trees, new plants poking through the ground. We may also see green insects and FROGS! The frogs may be hard to “see” but they sure are LOUD at this time of year! Frogs are amphibians, meaning that they can live in water or on land. Most frogs spend most of their lives in water. Some live in underground holes or in trees. A frog has smooth, moist skin and big, bulging eyes. Its hind legs are more than twice as long as its front ones. We commonly think of frogs being green, but there are actually seven common colours of frogs including green, brown, grey, blue, yellow, red, and black!
Singing with young children is fun way to learn about new things. While the changes of the seasons are completely normal to adults, remember a 4-year-old child has only experienced 3 or 4 spring seasons, and may likely only remember one of them.
Here are a few Froggy-themed songs for you to sing with your child. (If you need help with the tune, they are both on YouTube)
Mmm Mmm went the little green frog Mmm mmm went the little green frog one day Mmm mmm went the little green frog Mmm mmm went the little green frog one day So we ALL went Mmm Mmm Ahh! But we all know frogs go La-di-da-di-da, La-di-da-di-da, La-di-da-di-da We all know frogs go La-di-da-di-da They don’t go Mmm mmm ahh! 5 green and speckled frogs 5 green and speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log. Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum Yum! One jumped into the pool, where it was nice and cool. Now there are 4 green speckled frogs. Glub glub. 4 green and speckled frogs…. 3 green and speckled frogs…. 2 green and speckled frogs…. 1 green and speckled frog…. Now there are NO green speckled frogs. Glub glub.
Sticky tongues What you need: - green cardstock or construction paper - felt - scissors - marker - party blow outs - velcro pieces
How to do it: Did you know, frogs use their tongues to catch and eat their food? Do you think you could pick up your food using only your tongue?
To make the fun little sticky tongue, use the basic party blow out. Unroll it and put a few pieces of velcro on the underside of the end of the blow out. The velcro will “catch” the flies you will make.
To make a frog face to go with the tongue, draw a circle on the green paper. You can freehand this or maybe let your child trace a plate to draw their own circle. Then cut out the circle.
Next, fold the circle in half. Then, on the folded side, cut a “V” notch in the center of the fold.
When you open the frog’s face, there will now be an “X” in the back of the mouth. Just slide the party blow out into the hole and you have a basic frog and tongue.
Add some eyes, color the inside of the mouth….whatever your child wants to do to personalize their frog.
Finally, use a marker to draw some little flies on the piece of felt. Cut them out and place them around on the table.
As your child blows out the party favor, the velcro pieces on the end of it will grab the fly and bring it back into the froggie’s mouth!
Explore your own GREEN sensory bin
What you need:
- Container - Green loose parts items - “filler” (sand, small stones, etc)
How to do it:
Sensory bins provide children with an opportunity to explore, play and learn with their hands. Sen
sory bins help children develop their hand muscles as they manipulate the different items in the bin. They can pinch the stones, grab the sand, pour water, roll balls, press the Lego. The possibilities are endless, and this creation is theirs!
Sensory bins can be themed, but they don’t need to be. Themed bins will help children learn to sort and organize objects. The materials included are for a “Green” themed sensory bin. Feel free to add objects from home. Perhaps your child would like to add green things that they find outside!