Raising A Tadpole
One of the science experiments for fun. You can do this all by yourself! Just get your parent's permission to keep the tadpole.
Materials
a fishbowl/ aquarium/ other clear container
fresh water (Chlorine free! If you're taking it from the tap, make sure to put some de-cholrinating drops in it or leave it out in the sun for a week.)
1 clean, fairly large rock
minced, frozen lettuce
meal worms/ aphids
tadpole/ tadpoles
a diary/ journal/ notebook
Instructions
Make sure your water is very clean. Take your fairly large rock (also clean, preferably not the type that gives off sediments in the water) and place it on a corner or on one side of your container. This is for when the tadpole becomes bigger, and needs to perch itself out of the water from time to time.
Take your tadpoles (you can get them from some pond supply shops or if you know of a nearby pond, you may be able to take some from there) and place your tadpoles in the container. Remember not to keep too many of them. One to three is usually a good start.
On your notebook, chart the progress of your tadpoles every week. Make a few notes or observations on what they look like, how big they are, and what they do. You can also try to draw what they look like!
During the first few weeks, feed your tadpoles minced frozen lettuce. Just chop up some lettuce and freeze it. Drop in two pinches of lettuce every four days. Over-feeding your tadpoles will dirty the water, and you don't want that. If you see that the water is becoming dirty, lessen your feedings or amounts. You can change it with another batch of clean water.
When the tadpoles are big enough to perch themselves on the rock, you can begin giving them meal worms (found in pond supply shops) or aphids (look at flowers, particularly dandelions.) Just drop in the food, and your tadpoles will eat them!
When your tadpoles reach full metamorphosis, they will be frogs. This means they may jump out of your container. You can choose to move the container near the garden or on the porch so that they can jump out and explore the surrounding grassy areas. By now they will be able to feed themselves!
Concept Explanation
Tadpoles undergo complete metamorphosis to turn into frogs. You should be able to note their progress, as well as when they have developed lungs for breathing (in the beginning, they have gills.) Some tadpoles take six weeks to complete their metamorphosis, while others take many months. The climate or temperature can also affect the speed of metamorphosis so just be patient and keep taking notes! This is one of the science experiments for fun because not only do you learn about animal life cycles and metamorphosis, but you also get to raise a pet!
