Activities
Frog Census in Schools
- Why do we have a frog census?
- What does a frog call sound like?
- When, where, how and why frogs call?
- How to record frog calls?
- Conducting your Frog Census?:
- What frogs did I record?:
- Frog Census results?:
The activities are not written for a specific year level; teachers can adapt them accordingly. Each activity has been mapped to Victorian Essential Learning Standards (VELS), please see curriculum links. Suggested adaptations are noted for some activities.
You do not have to do all eight activities but teachers are encouraged to complete enough of the activities so as to give the students a good overview of the Frog Census program.
- It is recommended that teachers take part in Frog Census training prior to conducting the Frog Census activities with the students. More information.
- Teachers may wish to introduce the Frog Census unit by booking the Active Catchment Model (ACE) incursion. This interactive model incursion helps raise awareness with your students about stormwater pollution and the effects it may have on frog habitat and frog population. More information.
| Activity | Description | Downloads |
|---|---|---|
Why do we have a Frog Census?: |
The Frog Bog StoryThe Frog Census increases community awareness about the health of their local rivers, creeks and wetlands. This activity is designed to raise student's awareness about the impact that humans have on their local rivers, creeks and wetlands and how these activities effect the frog populations living in these areas. |
Teacher Notes Student Worksheets |
What does a frog call sound like?: |
'Is it a bird?' 'Is it a plane?'….. It's a…….FROGFrogs can be very difficult to find. They are usually highly camouflaged, blending into their environment. It's often easier to hear frogs than to see them. Frogs have many different sounding calls depending on the species. Before you start the Frog Census it is important to recognise the structure of a frog call. In this activity students will listen to various sounds to determine what is frog and what is not a frog call. |
Teacher Notes |
When, where, how and why frogs call?: |
Understanding frog callsHow do we find a frog? The answer is easy once we know why and when frogs call! In this activity students will focus on frog biology and frog life cycles to discover when, why and where frogs call. Frogs especially call during the breeding season. The breeding season varies depending on the frog species and on local weather conditions. |
Teacher Notes Teacher Notes Student Worksheets |
How to record frog calls?: |
Recording frog callsOnce you have located where and when frogs are calling, the next step is to survey frogs by recording their call and filling out a data sheet. In this activity students learn recording techniques to collect good quality frog census data. Where is that frog?The closer you can get to a calling frog, the better quality the recording. In this activity students learn how to locate a frog call using triangulation. |
Teacher Notes Student Worksheets Teacher Notes Student Worksheets |
Conducting your Frog Census?: |
Surveying frogs in your frog bog/local areaIn this activity your students will take recordings of the frogs in their local area to send into the Melbourne Water Frog Census. |
Teacher Notes |
What frogs did I record?: |
What made that sound?In this activity students learn how to identify the frogs they have recorded as part of the Frog Census. |
Teacher Notes Student Worksheets |
Frog Census results?: |
Mapping FrogsThe information from the Frog Census is collated to form an overall picture of the distribution of various frog species around Melbourne. In this activity students map the frogs in their local area. |
Teacher Notes |