An activity for the first day of kindergarten is to read the book aloud. The teacher then engages the class in a discussion about the similarities and differences between Froggy and the students. For instance, Froggy has a bad dream before he starts school. Did any of the children suffer from nightmares? The teacher then draws a simple Venn diagram and the children discuss what happened to Froggy and what happened to them. The teacher writes the common experiences in the intersection of the two circles and places the separate experiences of Froggy and the class in their own circles.
Have the students draw pictures of frogs or have them color in some simple templates. Provide books and computer printouts of different frog species and have the students choose one to copy. Discuss the attributes of the different frogs, such as color, size and type of croak they have. Show the students some video footage of frogs and talk about the way they move and the simple life cycle from tadpole to frog. Display the children's artwork on the bulletin board.
Provide students with a selection of games and puzzles, based on scenes from "Froggy Goes to School." Learning Treasures has a selection of games to print from its website (see References). Teachers can make two copies of various scenes from the book and stick each scene onto a card. Break students up into small groups and have them play a "memory game" in which they try to pick a matching pair. The winner is the student with the most matched pairs at the end.
This activity is based on comprehension and prediction. Have the students guess what the book is about from the cover. Ask some prompt questions if necessary, such as "does Froggy look happy?" Ask questions as you are reading the book to get the students to predict what will happen next. To introduce some interaction and drama, have the students pretend to be the animals featured in the book. At the end of the story, the students can choose an animal and move around the room making the appropriate impersonation.