Discovering tadpoles wriggling around the nature pond at Jerry Clay Academy in Wakefield, West Yorkshire captured children's interests and the finding took them on a new line of enquiry.
Staff had started to discuss plants and growth with the children, based around reading The Little Green Hen by Alison Murray, a retelling of the traditional tale with a message about caring for our environment. They had done some planting, observed the school's tortoises and ordered a butterfly kit in preparation for observing the metamorphosis when exploring the outdoor area led to the idea of pond dipping. ‘We had planned to explore lifecycles but not necessarily frogs, so it took a different slant,’ says EYFS teacher Nicki Burrows.
THE SETTING’S ETHOS
‘We've got a holistic curriculum with a lot of sustained, shared thinking and collaborative learning,’ explains Nicki. ‘We doa lot of outdoors and “real life” learning which we feel encourages a lot of discovery, exploration and challenge with the aim of children becoming independent and inquisitive thinkers.’
Staff aim for a balance between child- and adult-initiated learning so that children's interests can be followed and staff are able to model and scaffold their learning. ‘We keep memory books that contain photos of key learning points and lines of enquiry,’ adds Nicki. ‘Children have the opportunity to reflect on these in the reading area and at snack time and input into the books themselves.’
WHAT THEY DID
Before going to look at the pond, they discussed what they might see there. Children thought they might find tadpoles so they considered what they could take with them to carefully catch some and keep them safe. They took nets and buckets along with some rocks and decided to collect pond weed and water so that they would be happy.
‘Unfortunately we were too late for frogspawn but there were loads of tadpoles in the pond so it didn’t take long to catch them,’ says Nicki. ‘Children had to problem-solve and go around the other side of pond because the tadpoles were swimming through the reeds.’
Back inside, the children carefully put the tadpoles into a large vase so that they could observe them. Staff shared the book Growing Frogs by Vivian French and Alison Bartlett (see Book corner) with the children which contains facts on how to care for them and the lifecycle of a frog. They were amazed to learn how they grow legs and become froglets before turning into adult frogs.
Emphasis is given in PSHE to caring for animals, and staff explained to the children how they should return the tadpoles to the pond once they could see the stumps of limbs forming so that they could develop in their natural habitat.
Observation
‘Many of the children are so inquisitive and the tadpoles have become an obsession for them. They love looking at the way they move,’ says Nicki.
Children had previously done observational drawings of caterpillars and were keen to do this with the tadpoles too, which led to detailed artwork. ‘The children didn’t just draw the tadpoles but they drew the surroundings too, including the detail of the pondweed in the vase,’ says Nicki. ‘They focused on the shape of the tadpoles and even the finer details on their tails. It was not just a circle with a line for a tail, there was a lot more than that, including patterns, shapes and habitat. While drawing, the children were commenting on how the tadpoles were moving and how they swished their tails to move.’
Children asked questions about how the tadpoles breathe under water and staff related this back to the gills they explored when they dissected a fish the previous term.
Rhymes and songs
Staff linked the children's fascination with tadpoles to rhymes and songs about them, including ‘Ten Little Speckled Frogs’. One of the setting's core books is Oi Frog!by Kes Gray and Jim Field which they continued to revisit throughout the week and inspired the children with its host of rhyming words as cats sit on mats and hares sit on chairs, but the frog does not want to sit on the log. They tapped out frog rhythms on their knees and used body percussion.
Physical activity
Children pretended to be tadpoles and frogs outside. They mimicked the swishing movement of tails using scarves and ribbons to make swirling and sweeping movements in the air. Children also pretended to leap like frogs and see how far they could jump, which led to mathematical learning through measuring and comparing.
Construction
‘What really stood out for me was how the children remembered their visit to the pond and reconstructedit in the construction area using all the materials, which was totally child-led,’ says Nicki. ‘So they had a blue plastic sheet to represent the water and used wooden hoops for the tadpoles and added string for tails, and then they got nets and made a viewing platform to stand on with tyres around the outside to make sure it was “safe”.
‘Children then pretended to pond dip and put the tadpoles into the bucket, and one boy said, “I'm going to make frog spawn because that's the start of the lifecycle.” He found white bottle tops and a black marker to draw black dots before putting them in the pond. The children were then talking about the jelly of the frog spawn.’
Nicki comments how this revisiting the experience through play demonstrates how poignant it was for the children. They were very proud of the pond they made and played with it over a number of days.
WHAT THEY GAINED
Through discussing the frog lifecycle and comparing it to other creatures, including human beings, the children have gained a greater understanding of growth and change. They discussed scientific and environmental principles such as different habitats and what plants and creatures need to grow.
‘Children enjoyed discussing what was happening and how things change,’ says Nicki. ‘They watch the changes in the natural world with amazement.’
A boy said he had seen a stump on one of the tadpoles and it was time to put them back in the pond. The children will be sad to return them, but will continue to visit to watch the tadpoles’ metamorphosis.
BOOK CORNER
Growing Frogs by Vivian French and Alison Bartlett
What happens when you take an empty fish tank, add some pond water, scoop in some frogspawn and wait? This picture book combines facts with a lovely story.
Oi Frog! By Kes Gray and Jim Field
Jam-packed with animals and silliness, this rhyming story will get children giggling and rhyming as the frog refuses to sit on a log.
Tad by Benji Davies
Tad is the smallest tadpole in a big pond. She happily lives there until her siblings start to disappear. A story about growing up, branching out and leaping into life.
Tadpole's Promise by Jeanne Willis and Tony Ross
‘Where the willow meets the water, a tadpole met a caterpillar. “Promise me that you will never change”, the caterpillar says.’ Foolishly, the tadpole promises and, as the seasons change, he wonders what happened to his beautiful friend.
Leap Frog by Jane Clarke and Britta Teckentrup
An interactive picture book, filled with vibrant neon artwork about Felix the little tree frog who is lost in the jungle.
Ten Tiny Tadpoles by Debbie Tarbett
This counting book follows the adventures of these bright, bold, 3D tadpoles with a pop-up page at the end.
RHS How Does a Frog Grow? By DK
With friendly, read-aloud text, beautiful photos and illustrations, and surprise flaps.
