Frog Life Cycle - Montessori-inspired Unit Study

As we wrap up our first unofficial year of homeschool, I am pleased that I feel like I have found a good path for the divas and I to follow.  Our approach has turned a little more eclectic recently.  I still like the blend of Montessori and Charlotte Mason-inspired homeschooling that I had decided upon previously.  But, I'm also adding Unit Studies to our resources.

Our first official unit study is on frogs.  I am trying a few out at as we wrap up this school year, so that we can have a strong start in the Fall. The older diva will be starting Kindergarten and she is very excited about it, so I don't want to let her down! :)

If you follow me on Pinterest, you will see that I have been pinning a lot of Unit Study resources, including resources for frogs, lately.  The divas especially enjoyed browsing YouTube with me this morning and watching some videos to learn frog facts.  The older diva got a big kick out of watching the frogs puff themselves up with air when they croaked in one of the videos.

We kicked off our unit study by assembling a life cycle for a frog - eggs (spawn), tadpole, froglet, and frog.  I do not have a picture of it because I haven't gotten around to displaying it yet (oops!).  But, here are some of the other activities we are working on this week.

Props for the song "5 Green and Speckled Frogs"

Feed the Frog - Math game

Fine motor - could use pom poms and tongs instead

Eggs in the Pond

The frog math game has been a favorite.  The divas really enjoy scooping the number of "fly" pom poms, that correspond to the number on the die, into the frog's mouth. 

One of my sweet friends offered to let us come explore the pond in her backyard to see if we can find some tadpoles.  I'm hoping we can bring some home for observation!  In preparation for the hunt, I created a "frog egg" simulation activity for the divas.  Who knew that Chia seeds soaked in water would look like a frog egg?!?!  Ok, well, I suspected that would be the case, which is why I tried it. Thankfully, it was a pretty successful activity!  Check out the photos below of the divas exploring the "frog eggs" and getting to be hands-on without harming nature.

1 Tbsp Chia seeds soaking in 1/4 C water

Pretty realistic!

Both of the divas said, "Ewww!" 

Scooping "frog eggs" for individual exploration

This unit study has been great fun so far and I'm looking forward to enjoying the rest of it with the divas!  I hope you have enjoyed this walk through our fun, too!

Be blessed!