Preschool Trail Trekkers: Sounds of Spring — May At-Home Activity Ideas

Our Preschool Trail Trekkers programs offer children and accompanying adults a chance to explore the Nature Center and the outdoors with our Naturalists. In this time of social distancing, here are some activity ideas inspired by our May theme of Sounds of Spring (Frogs) for both indoors and outdoors to try with your family in your home or neighborhood.

Indoors

Frog Craft

• Make your own frog to wear (or not wear).
• Use the template to guide you, or get creative and draw your own body part shapes to cut out.
• Glue or tape body parts together to make your frog.
• Optional: Add a paper headband to make it into a hat.
• Color your frog OR use colored paper to create your frog, or do both!

Frog Life Cycle

• Explore the life cycle of the frog with this worksheet.
• Rearrange the different parts of the frog life cycle into the correct order.
• For added fun, color your frog life cycle!.

Create your Own Frog Chorus

• Listen to the different calls different kinds of frogs make.
• Use your voice or household items to imitate frog calls. Recruit other people in your household to add to your chorus:
  • Spring Peeper – Say “Peep, Peep” OR use jingle bells.
  • Chorus Frog – Run your fingers along the teeth of a comb.
  • Cricket Frog – Say “Click, Click” OR use noisemaker toys OR clink two marbles together.
  • Leopard Frog – Snore loudly OR run your fingers along a balloon.
  • Green Frog – Snap a rubber band OR a banjo string.

Water Play

• Play and experiment with water, with or without toys!

Outdoors

Look and Listen for Frogs!

• Head towards a neighborhood pond or wetland, especially in later afternoon on warmer days.
  • What sounds do you hear? Can you hear frogs?
  • Do you hear any other sounds?
• Many of Iowa’s frogs and toads are green and brown and camouflaged, or blend in with their habitats. Can you see any? 

Frog Hops

• Can you hop like a frog?
  
  • This activity works best outdoors or somewhere you have room to move!
  • Crouch down and hop as far as you can.
  • Measure the distance you hopped.
  • How do you compare to a frog or toad?
    • For example, if you were a 3 foot tall toad, you could jump 12 feet! How many jumps does it take you to get to 12 feet?

Life Cycle Relay

• Act out the frog life cycle in a lawn or open area near you. Recruit your friends and family members in your household to join in for added fun!
  • Lay out 5 cones or markers in a line.

1. 1. 1. Start out as an egg at the first cone. Crouch down and hop to the next cone.
      2. Turn into a tadpole! Wiggle and pretend to swim to the next cone.
      3. Start transforming into a frog. Start growing some legs and crawl to the next cone.
      4. Turn into a frog and hop to the last cone.

Hope you have fun exploring frogs, both indoors and out!

Share your explorations with us by tagging us or using our hashtags on social media:

#indiancreeknaturecenter #championsofnature

Our Preschool Trail Trekkers program is sponsored by CIPCO & Berthel Fisher.