The Little House (Montessori)
The children were greeted by one of the tour guides, Mr Jackson, who shared the history of farms in Singapore where we had as many as 20,000 farms in the past but we only have 200 farms now.
They then moved on to look at the life cycle of a frog. The children were introduced to the 5 stages - egg, tadpole, tadpole with hind legs, froglet and frog. Mr Jackson explained that the frogs on the frog farm are American bullfrogs. The reason why they are called bullfrogs is because of the sound the frogs make that resembles a bull.
They learnt that the American bullfrog lays up to 10,000-30,000 eggs in a cluster. A type of jelly holds the eggs together, giving it nutrients at the same time.
During the tadpole stage, the tadpoles breathe through their gills. Ms Chelsea, the other guide, held the tank up for everyone to have a look.
As the tadpole reaches the froglet stage, their gills will start to disappear and the froglet will develop lungs which explains why they are able to live on land. The children pointed out that the froglet had four legs which was more as compared to when they were in the tadpole stage.
The children were shown a comparison between the froglets and the frogs. Mr Jackson pointed out that as they turn into frogs, their tail and gills would slowly shrink and get absorbed into their body.
They were given a chance to get a closer look and hold the frogs.
They were given a chance to get a closer look and hold the frogs.
Afterwards, the children were brought indoors where they were shown a documentary on the bullfrog. They learnt about the anatomy of an American bullfrog and the different kinds of creatures it feeds on.
A mini quiz was conducted and they were tested on their observation and listening skills during the video and the tour. Those who participated were given a souvenir from the frog farm.
Moving on to the next segment of the tour, the children were shown an adult American bullfrog. Mr Jackson shared that these frogs can jump up to 1 meter high. The children also observed the movement of the frog’s neck which indicated their breathing through the snout.
They touched the frog and pointed out the smooth surface of its skin. Mr Jackson shared that the layer of slime that keeps the skin wet helps it to breathe too.
Photo session with the frogs.
To end the tour, the children moved on to the last segment where they were given the chance to feed the frogs with pellets that are made of fish.
