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Tadpoles delight tamariki

From a bucket of water, 19 little tadpoles have delighted tamariki across Blenheim. 

Tadpoles when they first arrived… all 19 of them

When a container of tadpoles was brought in by a child at Springlands Kindergarten they went on a journey of discovery. The tadpoles created a great learning opportunity, primarily about their wellbeing and the careful observation of their growth. 

Lela feeding the tadpoles

Tamariki took care of them by helping to feed them fish flakes, cucumber slices, boiled lettuce, and peas.  Along with discussing how to keep our environment healthy and clean so the frogs can live a happy and safe life.

Tamariki enjoyed reading plenty of frog themed books, singing frog related songs, and creating a group art display with a pond, weeds, frogs eggs, tadpoles, etc. 

They also learnt about New Zealand’s native frogs, and how most actually skip the tadpole stage. They hatch as tiny froglets and are then carried around on their fathers back until mature.  

After 8 weeks of looking after them and all 19 tadpoles still alive, the decision was made that they couldn’t keep them all… especially once they became frogs. 

An email went out and soon new homes were found across other ECE centres in Marlborough. 

Meanwhile back at Springlands Kindergarten the four remaining tadpoles were continuing to grow. It was with great excitement on the last day of term that they all finally developed their back legs!