We have recently been learning all about frogs and tadpoles during a visit to my Nanna's house, so we decided to set up a life cycle of a frog tuff tray pond, including a quick video...

We were previously gifted a packet of the green 'slime baff' which we used for this activity (half a pack) to create the swampy, slimy pond. Have a read of what else we did to create this sensory, slimy, frog pond tuff tray....

How to set up a Life cycle of a Frog Tuff Tray Pond

If you would like to see a quick video set up of the tuff tray, head over to my YoutTube video here: 

What might you need to set up this frog pond tuff tray?

As with most activities, we started this one by looking at books and images all about the life cycle of a frog. We had explored a real pond with tadpoles and froglets before moving on to this activity to continue the learning.

Key Vocab:

• Frogspawn
• eggs
• tadpoles
• froglets
• frogs

Preparing the resources for a frog life cycle tuff tray pond:

After mixing the slime to make the pond water, I used some green foam sheets to cut out some lily-pads which I then numbered using a permanent marker. I added a frog to each of the lily-pads.

Around the edge of the pond water in the tuff tray, I added in some plants and foliage from the garden such as rosemary and various leaves.

I placed some googly eyes in the pond water to give the illusion of something peering up from under the water!

  

I added in some empty snail shells as Arthur and Charlotte had been exploring real pond snails at their Nanna's house.

To make the tadpoles, I used black wikki stix, or Bendaroos (link above) and curled up the end to make the head and left a little tail before snipping to size.

Making the frogspawn:

 Left: Soak chia seeds in water until they are surrounded by a clear jelly. Basil seeds also work!

Middle: Cook tapioca pearls in water colored with black food colouring

Right: Cook giant cous cous in water coloured with black food colouring.

This is such a sensory experience for little learners with lots of different textures to feel, and lots of opportunities for introducing language. 

The slime baff is very, very slippy! Be warned, you will need to plan in extra clearing up time! The slime dilutes in extra water and can be drained down the sink, but I did find that using this on the tuff tray rather than in a bath meant that I had to hose it down outside with a hose. If it gets on the floor it is super slippy so just watch little ones with care whilst playing. It is definitely worth the extra effort as this was a real 'wow' in our house!

If you are looking for more tuff spot inspiration, have a look at my post - 19 tuff tray ideas for open ended play. 

This Valentine's Day sensory playdough tuff tray was a huge hit!

Wondering if this will work for year 1? Have a read of my post all about why year 1 children should still have continuous provision.

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