EHS Pond Life

Changes to Environment

Squeaky toy frogs, fish, ducks, dragonflies, etc

Frog, fish, cattail, dragonflies, ducks, lily pad, etc. stamps

Frog, fish, ducks, etc. puppets

Pictures of ponds and things you might find at a pond

Magazine clippings of ponds and things you might find at a pond

Books about ponds and things that live in ponds

Toy fishing pole, net, pail, tackle box,etc.

Mud

Insects

Bug catcher

Flashlight

Fisherman hat, vest, boots, etc.

Pond critter masks

Pond Life file folder game

Plastic eggs with pictures inside of animals that hatch from eggs

Water Table: blue water, lily pads w/flowers, frogs, fish, ducks, nets, drift wood pieces,etc

Sensory Table: mud, grass, large smooth rocks, frogs, snakes, dragonflies, fake cattail, tweezers, tree logs, etc

Teaching Concepts for Indoor Experiences

1. Fish for fish (use toy fishing pole with magnet on end to catch magnetic fish)

2. Puppet play while reading the Ugly Duckling

3. Where did the frog go? (place frog under lily pad and see if children can find which one he is under)

4. Water play with frogs, fish, ducks, etc. See what floats and what sinks.

5. Look at pictures of things you might find at a pond

6. Mud art

7. What's inside the egg? (using plastic eggs with pictures of animals that hatch from eggs inside)

10.Nest Building

Provide playdough and outdoor nest items such as twigs, leaves, etc. and some plastic ducks, birds, etc. 

The children work on making nests for their ducks and birds at the pond.

Teaching Concepts for Outdoor Experiences

1. Leap frog

Children move from one point to another, hopping like a frog.

2. Fly like a Dragonfly

3. Swim like a fish

4. Go fishing (pretend play)

5. Waddle like a duck

6. Turtle Crawl

Children crawl like a turtle with a “shell” (foam mat or carpet) on their backs, trying not to lose the shell.

7. Lily Pad Hop

Teaching Concepts for Music Movement Wellness IMIL

1.Fishing Song

Have you ever been fishin’ on a bright sunny day? With all the little fishies swimmin’ up and down the bay With your hands in your pockets and your pockets in your pants And all the little fishies do the hoochie-koochie dance!

2. Fishy Circle

(Ask the children to form a circle, let one child be the fish in the middle)

1,2,3,4,5,

Once I caught a fish alive

(Have the fish swim around the circle)

6,7,8,9,10,

Then I let it go again.

(Have the fish swim out of the circle and choose another fish)

3. I Have A Little Turtle

I have a little turtle

He lives in a box

He swims in the water

He climbs on the rocks

He snapped at a mosquito

He snapped at a flea

He snapped at a minnow

And he snapped at me

He caught the mosquito

He caught the flea

He caught the minnow

But he didn’t catch me

4.  Froggie Grows Up (tune: Froggie Went A-Courtin’)

Froggie was a-floatin’ in a big ol’ pond, uh-huh

Froggie was a-floatin’ in a big ol’ pond, uh-huh

He was one black spot in a jelly glob;

One small egg in a great big blob,

uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

Soon Froggie was a-swimmin’ on his own, uh-huh

Soon Froggie was a-swimmin’ on his own, uh-huh

His fast moving tail helped him get around

And he munched on tiny plants he found,

uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

And froggie was a-changin’ day by day, uh-huh

And froggie was a-changin’ day by day, uh-huh

First he got back legs and then front ones too

And he lost his tail and his lungs grew,

uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

Now froggie was a-hoppin’ on the land, uh-huh

Now froggie was a-hoppin’ on the land, uh-huh

His long sticky tongue helps him catch prey

As he feeds on bugs and worms all day,

uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

5. Three Little Ducks That I Once Knew

Three little ducks that I once knew.

A fat one, a skinny one, a yellow one too.

But the one little duck with a feather on his back

He ruled the others with his quack, quack, quack!

Quack, quack, quack. He ruled the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Down to the meadow they would go.

Wibble, wobble, wibble, wobble to and fro.

But the one little duck with the feather on his back.

He led the others with his quack, quack.

Quack, quack, quack.

He led the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Home from the river they would come.

Wibble, wobble, wibble wobble, ho, hum.

But the one little duck with the feather on his back.

He led the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Quack, quack, quack.

He led the others with his quack, quack, quack.

1. Fishing SongHave you ever been fishin’ on a bright sunny day?

With all the little fishies swimmin’ up and down the bay

With your hands in your pockets and your pockets in your pants

And all the little fishies do the hoochie-koochie dance!

2. Fishy Circle

(Ask the children to form a circle, let one child be the fish in the middle)

1,2,3,4,5,

Once I caught a fish alive

(Have the fish swim around the circle)

6,7,8,9,10,

Then I let it go again.

(Have the fish swim out of the circle and choose another fish)

3. I Have A Little Turtle

I have a little turtle

He lives in a box

He swims in the water

He climbs on the rocks

He snapped at a mosquito

He snapped at a flea

He snapped at a minnow

And he snapped at me

He caught the mosquito

He caught the flea

He caught the minnow

But he didn’t catch me

4.  Froggie Grows Up (tune: Froggie Went A-Courtin’)

Froggie was a-floatin’ in a big ol’ pond, uh-huh

Froggie was a-floatin’ in a big ol’ pond, uh-huh

He was one black spot in a jelly glob;

One small egg in a great big blob,

uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

Soon Froggie was a-swimmin’ on his own, uh-huh

Soon Froggie was a-swimmin’ on his own, uh-huh

His fast moving tail helped him get around

And he munched on tiny plants he found,

uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

And froggie was a-changin’ day by day, uh-huh

And froggie was a-changin’ day by day, uh-huh

First he got back legs and then front ones too

And he lost his tail and his lungs grew,

uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

Now froggie was a-hoppin’ on the land, uh-huh

Now froggie was a-hoppin’ on the land, uh-huh

His long sticky tongue helps him catch prey

As he feeds on bugs and worms all day,

uh-huh, uh-huh, uh-huh.

5. Three Little Ducks That I Once Knew

Three little ducks that I once knew.

A fat one, a skinny one, a yellow one too.

But the one little duck with a feather on his back

He ruled the others with his quack, quack, quack!

Quack, quack, quack. He ruled the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Down to the meadow they would go.

Wibble, wobble, wibble, wobble to and fro.

But the one little duck with the feather on his back.

He led the others with his quack, quack.

Quack, quack, quack.

He led the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Home from the river they would come.

Wibble, wobble, wibble wobble, ho, hum.

But the one little duck with the feather on his back.

He led the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Quack, quack, quack.

He led the others with his quack, quack, quack.

Teaching Concepts for Fingerplays

1. 5 Little Speckled Frogs

Five Little Speckled Frogs

Sat on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum!

One jumped into the pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there were four speckled frogs. Oh No!

Four Little Speckled Frogs

Sat on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum!

One jumped into the pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there were three speckled frogs. Oh No!

Three little speckled frogs

Sat on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum!

One jumped into the pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there were two speckled frogs. Oh No!

Two little speckled frogs

Sat on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum!

One jumped into the pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there was one speckled frog.  Oh No!

One little speckled frog

Sat on a speckled log

Eating the most delicious bugs. Yum! Yum!

It jumped into the pool

Where it was nice and cool

Now there are no more speckled frogs.  Oh No!

2. Turtle

This is a turtle

(make a fist with one hand)

He lives in a shell

He likes his home

Very, very well

He pokes his head out when he wants something to eat

(stick out your thumb)

And puts it back in when he goes to sleep

(fold the thumb back in)

3. Snap Went the Turtle (tune: Three Blind Mice)

Snap, snap, snap; snap, snap, snap,

Went the turtle, snap, snap, snap.

He snapped in the morning,

He snapped in the night,

He snapped at the bugs

As he took each bite,

He snapped so much

He was quite a sight.

Snap, snap, snap.

4. Five Little Ducks

Five little ducks went out to play.

Over the pond and far away.

Mother duck called with a quack, quack.

Four little ducks came back, came back.

Four little ducks…. Three little ducks…. Two little ducks…. One little duck …. No little ducks went out to play.

5. Five Little Dragonflies

One little dragonfly with four shiny wings (Hold up one finger, then 4)

Two little dragonflies learning how to sing (Hold up 2 fingers)

Three little dragonflies zipping up and down (Hold up 3 fingers, then move quickly)

Four little dragonflies resting on the ground (Hold up 4 fingers, then rest head on hands)

Five little dragonflies going home for lunch (Hold up 5 fingers, then “fly” fingers away)

Along came a frog and munch, munch, munch! (Clap hands once on each “munch”)