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FROGS!
 
  frog  

Photo ©2007 David Barron.All rights reserved.  


The Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla)
This species of frog grows between 3/4" to 2" long, with the female growing larger than the male. Its long fingers and toes are not webbed, but do have round, sticky disks at the ends. They also have a dark stripe running down each eye to the shoulder, often with a triangular mark or appearance between their eyes. Their sound is the typical frog call we know from movies, and can be heard over long distances at night. The Pacific Tree Frog also has the unique ability to change colors in various surroundings, from brown to gray and green, making it the chameleon of the frog family. Learn more about this frog, its range, habitat, and mating procedures with our links below, and find numerous other resources as well to learn about all kinds of frogs!

FROG HUNT!
http://www.everydayteaching.com/Treks/Frog.Hunt.html

Use all of the various resources here to answer the questions on this internet Frog Hunt. Print out the worksheet to use as your hand-in page. Good luck!

ALL ABOUT FROGS FOR KIDS AND TEACHERS:
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Themes/frogs/
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/crafts/frog/

You can start here to learn about frogs: their classification, sizes, habitats, what they eat, their defences, sounds and songs, and life cycles. The 2nd link above offers many printables to learn about different kinds of frogs, though non-members have to deal with ads on the pages.

IT'S A FROG'S LIFE:
http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/frogs/frogs_life.html

It starts out as a tiny egg, which is fertilized outside the female body by the male frog. Learn all about the frog life cycle at this site from the University of Wisconsin, with beautiful illustrations for each stage of the cycle.

THE AMAZING ADAPTABLE FROG:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/mainstory/index.html

The San Francisco Exploratorium offers this approach to studying frogs, learning about their unique adaptations to different habitats. Learn how they find food, travel, camouflage, drink, breathe, see, and swallow, with video footage available. The frog life cycle and frog conservation issues are also covered.

A FIELD GUIDE TO FROGS:
http://www.enature.com/fieldguides/view_default.asp?curGroupID=7&shapeID=1056
http://www.npwrc.usgs.gov/resource/herps/amphibid/index.htm
http://cgee.hamline.edu/frogs/science/mnfrogs.html#Peeper

The first link above offers a wonderful resource to help identify your frog or toad; click on the picture for a description, breeding habits, habitat, and range. You can also listen to each individual frog sound online. Cross check your identification and find more species listed in the 2nd & 3rd links above.

THE PACIFIC TREE FROG:
http://www.naturepark.com/treefrog.htm
http://bss.sfsu.edu/holzman/courses/Fall01%20projects/regilla.htm.htm

Our front page picture features the Pacific Tree Frog. Learn more about this chameleon-like amphibian, including how it can change colors minute-by-minute, its habitat and range, and its habits.

MEMOIRS OF A PACIFIC TREE FROG:
http://tolweb.org/treehouses/?treehouse_id=3279

Want to know what a day in the life of a Pacific Tree Frog is like? This page provides an excellent guide to knowing just what it's like to be such a creature.


VISIT DAVID BARRON'S NATURE JOURNAL ON THE PACIFIC TREE FROG:
http://www.everydayteaching.com/Treks/Frog.Journal.pdf

David is in grade 7, and is our prolific photographer for many of the nature photos on our website. David has his own printable page on the Pacific Tree Frog online, with even more great pictures. Access this nature student's notes here. You can also make your own Field Journal page, with the blank field journal sheets below.


frog

Photo ©2007 David Barron.All rights reserved.

 

BLANK FIELD JOURNAL PAGES:
http://www.everydayteaching.com/Treks/FieldJournal.pdf

You can create your own Field Journals by using these blank forms. Draw diagrams to illustrate what you are studying in the four circles - life cycles, food eaten, etc. - and use the rectangles for text to talk about the habitats, habits, and description, as shown.

PACIFIC TREE FROG CALL:
http://www.naturepark.com/sound1.wav

They're loud and proud. Listen to the Pacific Tree Frog (Hyla regilla) call here.

VIRTUAL FROG DISSECTION & THE WHOLE FROG PROJECT:
http://froggy.lbl.gov/virtual/
http://frog.edschool.virginia.edu/Frog2/
http://froggy.lbl.gov/

How cool is this? No need for a lab when you can do it online. Dissect a virtual frog without ever having to use a knife in the 1st link above. The illustrations are posterized and should not invite any squeamishness. If you are planning a dissection in your lab, use the 2nd link above for a step-by-step how-to through movies and narration, with an actual frog being dissected. Learn more about this amazing amphibian with the Whole Frog Project by accessing the 3rd link above.

FROG ANATOMY:
http://www.lookd.com/frogs/anatomy.html
http://www.lookd.com/frogs/characteristics.html

Learn all about frog anatomy with these illustrations and descriptions. Both simple and detailed illustrations are available. Use the 2nd link above to learn more about the physical characteristics of frogs.

RAISING FROGS IN THE CLASSROOM:
http://www.dnr.state.wi.us/org/caer/ce/eek//teacher/frogact.htm

Yes you can! Learn what kinds of materials you will need, what food sources, and how to set up your frog environment to see the life cycle from egg to adult. A simple frog identification chart is also included.

FROG LIFE CYCLE & WORKSHEETS:
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Themes/frogs/frogclips/lifecyclebw.gif
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Themes/frogs/frogclips/frogcycle2.gif
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/amphibians/sequencingfrog/
http://www.lookd.com/frogs/life.html

Print out these excellent pages to learn and remember the stages of the life cycles of frogs. The 4th link above offers an intelligent overview of the frog life cycle, with color illustrations.

FROG OR TOAD?
http://www.kiddyhouse.com/Themes/frogs/frogtoaddiff.html

Is it a frog, or is it a toad? Learn about the differences here, and then you decide!

SOMETHING FROGGY THIS WAY COMES!
http://www.fi.edu/fellows/fellow9/jun99/

Choose the primary or upper elementary version of this online exhibit from the Franklin Institute. Froggy facts are interwoven with a frog tale, along with a glossary for younger learners, while older students can also investigate life in the online pond.

FUN FROG FACTS:
http://www.amnh.org/exhibitions/frogs/frogfacts/

How big is big in frog-speak? How about 7 pounds? That's what the West African Goliath Frog weighs in at, with a length up to 15 inches! Learn more amazing froggy facts here, and consider making a classroom game based on trivia quiz cards, all about - you guessed it - frogs!

FROG TRACKER:
http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/tracker/index.html

Shine your flashlight through this virtual pond at night to see what kinds of frogs you can locate, and listen to the different sounds they make.

KISS A FROG LATELY?
http://www.exploratorium.edu/frogs/folklore/index.html

Will you get a prince or simply warts from kissing a frog? Probably neither, but do read up on all the various myths that the princely toad has inspired.

HOW TO DRAW A FROG:
http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/frogs/draw_frog.html

Now that you've studied all about frogs, you'll surely want to learn how to draw one and keep your own journal, especially if you live near a pond where you can study these amphibians. Artist Gina Mikel gives step-by-step instructions that make it easy to follow, yielding gorgeous results!

MAKE AN ORIGAMI FROG:
http://www.seagrant.wisc.edu/frogs/origami.html

Superfrog! That's what they're called here, and they can really jump! Have some contests to see who can make the most colorful, farthest jumping frog of all.

FROG CRAFTS:
http://www.dltk-kids.com/animals/frogs.htm
http://www.daniellesplace.com/HTML/frogcrafts.html

Frog beanbags, paper plate frogs, frog puppets . . . Find lots of ideas here to make your own versions of those cute and adorable green critters!

FROGGY GAMES:
http://www.froggyville.com/checkers/frogcheckers.htm
http://www.froggyville.com/frog_memory_test.htm
http://www.froggyville.com/frogsays.htm
http://www.billybear4kids.com/games/online/bug/frog.htm
http://www.playkidsgames.com/games/frog/Flash/default.htm#

You have worked hard to learn all about the wonderful world of frogs, so now it's time to play a few frog games. Choose from a variety of frog-themed games above, including frog checkers and frog memory games.

FROG BOOKMARKS:
http://www.everydayteaching.com/Helpers/FrogBookmarks.pdf

Print out these colorful, fun frog bookmarks to write down what you like most about frogs, and to list your very favorite frog species.

FROG WORDSEARCH:
http://www.everydayteaching.com/Worksheets/ET_work/wsearch.frog.pdf

You will first have to use the clues to fill in the blanks with the information given, finding the frog terms that are used in the wordsearch - a great printable worksheet for the end of your Frog Learning Unit!


 

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