Name: Lois Walters

Name of activity: 5 Green and Speckled Frogs finger play Ages of children: 2-3

Circle the type of activity:

creative art story/language ( music ) large muscle sensory table
science cooking math small manipulative ________________

Check the type of activity presentation:

X large group (all children participating at the same time)
_____small group (a portion of the children participating at the same time)
_____ activity choice during free play
number of children participating at the same time: 4

Child development skills necessary for the children’s success when participating:
1. Counting or pre-counting skills
2. Creative expression and engagement in music
This activity has been planned to stress the following WMELS performance standards:
1.V. B. EL. 1
2.IV. B.EL. 2
Why have you chosen to do this activity? My children have been showing a great deal of
interest in counting lately and I have a couple who really struggle with getting the numbers
in the right order. They love finger plays and singing, so I thought this was a good choice.

Space and /or materials needed (Be specific! Include colors, amounts, sizes, etc.) : Area large
enough for all children and teacher to sit or stand comfortably, glove with Velcro on each finger
tip, 5 frogs cut out of Green felt
Source of materials
X all are available at the center/in the classroom
_____ provided, in part, by cooperating teacher
_____ I am providing the following:

Teacher preparation needed before activity presentation: (ex. mixing of paint, cutting of
paper, construction of flannel board characters, etc.) I got some Green felt, traced 5 frog outlines
on it, cut them out and drew faces on them. I then stuck Velcro circles to each fingertip on an old
glove, printed out the words to the song and laminated it. I stuck the frogs and the printed lyrics
in a Ziploc bag and put them in the bucket of finger plays along with the glove.

Teaching Sequence of the Activity

Set-up and arrangement of materials and equipment: When it was time for music, I got the
bucket out of the cupboard, pulled the bag out and removed the frogs. I grabbed the glove out of
the bucket as well and invited the children to come over and join me on the rug. I know the song
by heart so I didn’t need the printed version at this time. I just made it for a reference or so a sub
could use it if needed in the future.

What is the teacher’s role (what will you do) during this activity? :My role is to provide the
materials needed, wear the glove and remove the frogs as the song goes on, sing the song
and hold the children’s interest and interact with them while doing this activity.

What will the children do during the activity? (Remember: Children are active, hands-on
learners!):The children will interact with me pretending to be frogs during the introduction, then
the children will count and sing along with me for the song.

How will the activity area be cleaned up? (How will the children help in this process? Where
will the leftover materials be put? Where will the children’s art works be placed?): Since I had
less children that day then I normally do, I gave each one a frog to put in the bag. I then closed
the bag and put the bag and glove in the bucket of finger play props and put it back in the
cupboard. When I have more children than props, I have them sing goodbye Mr. Frog to each
one as I hop them back into the bag and put them away myself.

Self-Evaluation of Activity
The following questions should be answered as soon as possible after presenting the activity in
the classroom.
What changes would you make in the space and/or materials used for this activity? All
recommended changes should be supported with examples of the children’s participation. If you
respond, “No changes”, support is also needed for your answer. : We had a few problems with
video recording. When I had another teacher come in to record, the kids were very distracted and
didn’t participate well. I have one child in my room who is dealing with some separation
problems and freaks out whenever another adult comes in the room because she thinks I’m going
to leave. I tried setting my phone up on a shelf but either the height was wrong or the kids kept
trying to grab it. We tried for a couple weeks with no success. I finally had my daughter come in
a record because they are used to her being in the room. She forgot to push record the first time
through, accidentally pushed stop recording halfway through the second time and by the third
time through, the 2 year old was losing interest. She also never got the introduction. We talked
about frogs and everyone hopped around the rug like a frog and stuck out our tongues to catch a
fly just like a frog would do. We talked about how long a frog’s tongue is and compared if our
tongues are as long as theirs. Without the video recording, the only thing I would and do change
with this type of activity, is handing a frog (or whatever the item is in the song) to a child as I
remove them from the glove. I have tried having the kids remove them one at a time, but that
doesn’t seem to work well and they end up fighting over who’s turn it is.

Did the activity support the developmental skill that you planned to support? How do you
know? Yes. I know this because the children have been counting everything since we sang
this song.

What changes would you make in the preparation or presentation of this activity? Support
each change you list. If you say “no change”, support your response. I’m going to say no
change because the children enjoyed it so much they wanted to do it many times in a row
and many days in a row. They are choosing during their free play times to count their toys,
each other and the steps it takes to do something. The skills they learned from the finger
play are carrying through into their daily activities.

Would you do this activity again? Why or why not? I would definitely do this activity
again, and actually already have. The kids have been asking to do it every day since then,
multiple times in a day even! I have many more homemade felt finger plays and they have
been enjoying them all. My children have started making up their own finger plays with
different toys, animals and familiar people. That to me is an indicator of success.