Tadpoles

As a responsible pet owner - before buying this tadpole kit, I did some research online and discovered that these frogs are called African Clawed Frogs, and that they can live up to 30 yrs in good conditions - I also learned that they CAN NOT just be released into our environment because they are not native here and so have no natural predators and can also be harmful - due to whatever possible bacteria they carry!  SO before engaging in one of these kits be prepared for a life long pet!
 

A couple years ago, we purchased a tadpole from the Grow A Frog Company.  It was a kit that provided a glass tadpole, which would grow into a frog and my dd could watch it's metamorphosis.  




Anyway  One thing lead to another and somehow we ended up with 2 Frogs.  Just my luck they end up being male and female.  The Frogs  (Lily and Tad) are now about 3 yrs old.  (Tad is the male and the littler one of the two.)

Despite reading literature on the Net - that these frogs are supposedly sterile - it turns out ours are quite fertile! LOL!  Low and behold, this past December - we ended up with a pair of Tadpoles.

(the little line off center in the above picture is a newly hatched tadpole.) 

Here are the twins Saguaro (big at front) and Barrel (smaller barely visible in the rear - seems to have growth issues) a month and a half later.  Saguaro has visible back legs and is in the state that Tad was when he arrived.  Barrel seems about 2 weeks behind in growth but also has showing back legs.  (if size is any indication, we think they are also male and female - if they are - they will be separated.)

This was an excellent science lesson for my Frog-obsessed older dd way back when and even now.  She beginning to assume the responsibility for cleaning the tank and caring for them.

I'm hoping that the 6 yr old will gain the same appreciation for this lesson!  She has claimed responsibility for the twins and will eventually end up with the resulting frogs as her pets.  So while we dabble with plants at the moment, we are also watching real life metamorphosis!

Science Experiment - What Plants Need

Some time ago, I purchased a plants kit from Little Labs, to teach my 6 yr old a little bit about plants.  The first experiment involves learning what plants need in order to grow and survive.  A little over a week ago, we took 3 paper cups, some cotton balls and water.  We planted some Cress seeds in the cotton.  One we placed in a sort of sunny location, one we placed in a dark cupboard, and one we put blue food colouring in, just for the fun of it to see if colour would affect the plant.

#1#2  

#3

#1 - The Sun Plant - Sprouted the following day and grew very well producing fine green leaves.  (this plant was healthy and as tall as the other 2 plants but got dropped just prior to the photo being taken.)

#2 - The Closet Case - Also sprouted the following day and grew well but produced sickly yellow leaves.  (I would continue to grow this plant in the cupboard for a little while longer, but my 6 yr old feels very bad that the plant doesn't look good and she is afraid it will die - can't argue with that - so now we will see what effect placing it in the sun will do to it now! - I may put a secret plant in the cupboard and watch it for a few weeks.)

#3 - The Dyed Plant - Also Sprouted the following day - grew well, and had slightly blue tinged stems.  (we're going to add more blue food colour when we water it next time and see if that will have an effect.)

So our experiment provided that in order to produce a healthy Cress plant with green leaves a plant needs water, sun and "soil".

Our next experiment, we picked up at Michael's this afternoon.  Involves a little "Egg" Terrarium.  I'm not sure yet how I'm going to present this to the girls, but I just wanted to grow a little terrarium of Herbs and Cacti and see what would happen.... I am the notorious assassin for Cacti - apparently I water them too much! LOL!