It has been a hot week in Reception but the children have handled it well. There has been a lot of water play, and the hose has made it ‘rain’ many times.
The book we have based our learning on this week is, ‘Tadpole’s Promise’. Based on the front cover, the children made good predictions about the book. As we read the story, we stopped at key parts and the children thought about what could happen next. Nobody predicted the ending, where the frog eats the butterfly, not realising that it was the caterpillar that he loved with all of his heart.
Based on this book, we have learned more about frogs, their life cycle and their habitat. Earlier this term, the children were lucky enough to watch the metamorphosis of real caterpillars and tadpoles. This meant that they were very knowledgeable about how they changed.
Earlier this year, we learned about the word ‘habitat’ when reading the book ‘The Bog Baby’. They built upon this knowledge by learning about why frogs need to live near fresh, still water. They also learned how amphibians, such as frogs and newts, spend the beginning part of their lives in water but then most go on to live predominantly on land. The children investigated the other creatures that live in the pond which our tadpoles originally came from. They found pond skaters, ramshorn snails and newt larvae. We discussed why these creatures need to be returned to their habitat so they can go on to live healthy, happy lives. We learned about how frogs are an integral part of the ecosystem and what we can do to help nature and our environment.
