Hello.

I am a third-year teaching student, and at the moment, have to create activities and lesson plans for my kindergarteners about animals and how they move and balance in ecosystems. I got the idea that raising tadpoles and noting the changes over the semester would be an interesting activity, and would love to give it a try.

The only problem is, I have almost no experience with frogs. I mean, I used to catch them and release them in my grandparents' pond when I was a kid, but I've never raised them. I don't want to put time, effort, and money in it, and then end up killing them. Not to mention how sad that would be for the five-year-olds I teach.

So, I was wondering if anyone can give me advice. I don't want a frog kit, since I want the children to find out on their own (with my help) about where frogs live, what they eat, different species, etc., and then come up with a habitat on their own (again, with my help).

Should I get just one tadpole, or more than one? What is a good temperature for the water? Water care? Food for pet frogs? Should the water be changed on a regular basis? What species are best for raising in captivity? Appropriate cage/container for raising frogs?

And any other advice or tips anyone can give me would be awesome.