FIVE GREEN AND SPECKLED FROGS
We had fun singing "Five Green and Speckled Frogs" today! The kids also got to check out my cool wooden frog guiro that makes a toad-like chirp when you brush the wooden striker against its back! We also used a neat wooden stir xylophone. Beyond instrument exploration, we used frog, log and pond peices to act out this classic children's song, as well as small strips of green paper. The paper strips, on which five frogs sat, were folded over as the song went so that children could calculate how many frogs were left. Check your toddler & up cubbie to find the paper and help your child with some fun, musical math. If there are five frogs on the log and two jump into the water, how many does that leave?
Beyond singing about frogs, we also learned that they lay eggs, eat insects and other small aquatic and land life, and that they come in many sizes--including giant bullfrogs!
SCHOOLAGERS/FOURS BRAINSTORM
I asked the schoolagers and fours to begin our music session by brainstorming about what animals lay eggs. They came up with this list, and through other clues began our process of elimination to find out what animal we were talking about. Boy, these kids are sharp!
QUESTIONS TO ASK YOUR CHILD
1. Can you tell me how frogs are born? Frogs are hatched from soft eggs in the water. They turn into tadpoles first!
2. How many green and speckled frogs were there on the speckled log? Five to start. Challenge your child with some simple addition and subtraction problems using the song as a tool!
3. Did you use some wooden instruments in music class today? Yes--a wooden frog guiro and a stir xylophone