Frogs in the Mud

What happens to frogs in the winter?

Where do they go? How do they live? When do they return??

We had a practical, hands-on science class yesterday.

The boys and Glen went out to one of the springs on the west hill behind the barn. Glen wanted to see if they could dig down and stick a piece of pipe into the spring and fill it with water.

Just for fun!

Cause that's the kind of thing we do around here for fun.

They dug with a post-hole digger.

There is about 10 inches of rich black dirt over the spring. Under that is perfect white sand. Sand prettier than the sand on Lover's Beach in Cabo!

But maybe I am a bit biased. It is my sand!

The water from deep inside the earth bubbles up out of the sand constantly.

That in itself is amazing.

But equally amazing were the frogs.

The ground around the spring was full of them!

They were frozen in the mud. Waiting for spring.

Of course my boys dug them up and brought them inside.

I tried to be excited with them about their discovery. A good mom would be very excited and help them create a habitat for the frozen frogs where they could thaw and come to life.

Hmmmmm.

Well. They ended up in my sink. The kitchen sink. Three frozen frogs in a couple inches of water.

For a while they just sat on the bottom with their eyes closed.

But sure enough. They thawed out enough to get moving.

Before too long one had hopped out of the sink and was hopping across the kitchen.

I played the part of the not-too-gracious-mom who scolded and fussed and chased that frog around the kitchen till I caught him. Then I stormed out the back door and down to the spring to release him properly.

Glen and the boys were at that spring when I came fussing down the hill with a chirping frog in my hands.

They thought I was pretty comical!

Glen sent Aidan to get the remaining frogs out of my sink.

He came back with only one. "Dad," he said. "One went under the refrigerator. I couldn't reach him. Will you come and help me?"

Oh joy! A frog under the refrigerator!

That is just where I wanted him!

Why can't we do normal things that normal families do for fun?? Why do we have to do cool stuff like dig up frozen frogs and thaw them in the kitchen sink??

Why, oh why??

Actually, I did think it was cool. But I wouldn't let on to the boys about that!

No way!

The frog under the fridge was rescued.

I think he was glad to be caught! He was so covered with dust bunnies that he didn't even resemble a live frog!

He was returned to the wild where he buried himself in the mud and is waiting for the day when all self-respecting frogs will emerge from the ground and begin life again.

Except, his home will not be the way he remembers it.

Hopefully, he won't care!

Class dismissed.