How to Learn About Tadpoles

Design a lesson plan to help children learn about tadpoles in the classroom. For children in early elementary grades, creating a frog booklet that outlines each step in the egg-to-frog life cycle can help them gain an understanding of change. Make a page for each step in the frog's life cycle. Draw a large oval on each page to represent a lily pad. Draw an illustration of what occurs in each step -- eggs, a tadpole, a tadpole with legs, a froglet and a frog -- inside the lily pad. Label each picture and explain what happens in each stage in simple, age-appropriate terms. Make a copy of each page for every child in your class. Have the children color their pictures and copy the label in their own handwriting. Have the children cut out all the lily pads using safety scissors and staple them together to make a frog booklet.

Teach about the transformation of tadpole to frog by using a crafty lesson plan such as one offered by Scholastic. Designed to help students learn about the word "metamorphosis," which means "change shape," the lesson plan suggests you show your students pictures of frogs at various stages of the life cycle, from eggs to frogs. Allow them time to color the tadpole and frog body parts, then have them use safety scissors to cut out the parts. Help the students assemble their tadpoles/frogs using string or metal brads. First attach the tail, then the front legs, then the rear legs -- the same order as it occurs in nature. Show the children how removing the tadpole's tail makes the tadpole a froglet, and means the metamorphosis is complete.

Show an informative video that will help students learn about frogs and tadpoles. Older students will benefit from watching a video such as PBS's "The Thin Green Line," available online in its entirety. "The Thin Green Line" details the worldwide environmental crisis that is leading to the disappearance of countless frog species. Your students will learn about why amphibians are important to the world, and why their perishing puts other species at risk. The video is ideal for a lesson in ecology and green living.

Raise tadpoles in the classroom. Acquire an appropriate container, such as an aquarium or fishbowl, and place it in a safe location away from direct sunlight. If your local area has plenty of ponds and streams, you may be able to capture your own tadpoles using an aquarium net. If not, speak with local pet shops -- they often will be able to order tadpoles for you. Before placing your tadpoles in the aquarium, remove chlorine from the tap water. Do this either by allowing the water to sit in the sunlight for a week or by using dechlorinating drops you can purchase at a pet store. Be sure to do this every time you change the water or add water to the tadpole's home. Tadpoles eat plant matter, so feed them small bits of lettuce. Boil it for about ten minutes, drain and chop it finely. Be sure not to overfeed or the water will become cloudy. Keep your tadpole home clean by changing the water frequently. When your tadpoles are just about ready to become froglets, add some rocks for them to climb on to the tank.