Introduce the project by bringing a real frog to school if possible. Display the real frog or a picture of one along with a toy frog on a table. Ask students to come and examine both frogs. Instruct them to think about what makes one frog different from another. After everyone examines the frogs, have a class meeting. Make a chart for the class on which you write the word frog and under it write the words living and nonliving. Ask the kids to give you characteristics of both frogs as you write their words on the chart.
Discuss the life cycle of the frog with the class. Define the basic stages of the frog life cycle to kids. Show the class pictures of frog eggs, tadpoles, froglets and adult frogs. Provide kids with air-dry clay and adult frog-shaped cookie cutters. Have kids create models of the four stages using the cookie cutter for the adult frog but making the eggs, tadpoles and froglets independently. Allow clay to dry and paint it if desired.
Read one of the "Frog and Toad" books by Arnold Lobel aloud to the class. Discuss the differences between frogs and toads. Tell students a couple of simple facts such as the fact that toads have thicker skin than frogs and can live away from water. Also review the difference between real and imaginary with students. Create a large chart to comparing real frogs and imaginary frogs. Ask students to tell you examples from the story that were things a real frog might do and things only an imaginary frog would do. Write these on the class chart.
Based on class readings and information learned, ask students to name the places that they think frogs live. Acquire old nature, animal and travel magazines. Instruct students to cut or tear out pictures from the magazines that show the places frogs live. Students then glue the pictures on a piece of paper to create collages. Provide them with a frog cutout or sticker to place on the collage.