Published: 8th May 2025

This #AmphibianWeek ARC’s Saving Scotland’s Amphibians and Reptiles (SSAAR) project team are excited to unveil the newest addition to our educational resources: The Tadpole Pack, especially designed for Nursery schools and Early years in Scotland. Like the Champhibians project for primary schools, The Tadpole Pack aims for classes of Early years children to adopt a local pond or their own school pond as a place to learn about amphibians and water life. The pack introduces them to the lifecycle of amphibians, the importance of preserving natural habitats and the actions they can take to protect these vital spaces. It allows very young people a chance to feel involved in protecting their own local place and species with in it, which is important as they grow and learn more about their space, their place within it and how it matters to them and the wider world.

Every spring our ponds team with life and one of the most interesting life forms that children love to see is the tadpole, whose metamorphosis and survival is an epic and wonderful story to share. The tadpole is a creature easy to find and study, easy to recognise but it also opens a whole wealth of possibilities for engaging and adventure filled class time. In early years education, outdoor learning provides opportunities across the curriculum, not only in terms of an appreciation of nature and living things, but also in terms of health, well-being, self-awareness, care of others and teamwork. Looking at the life in ponds is one of the best ways of accessing a whole wealth of learning outcomes. The Tadpole Pack embraces all these opportunities a simple pond investigation and finding tadpoles can give.

This pack is a whole lesson plan, or it can be used in part as opportunity allows. It not only covers tadpoles but their adult forms of frogs and toads and introduces the newts, their amphibian cousins. The pack takes you through everything you must consider going pond dipping with a very young class, with identification guides to other pond life, games and simple activities to enjoy with your class.

The Tadpole Pack has its own mascot Losgy an Losgann’, who appears in the introductory cartoon for the pack. Losgy’s name was chosen by enthusiastic nursery school pupils from Ullapool Nursery and emerged as a part of a collaborative effort with the High Life Highland Ranger Service’s ‘Puddles to Pond’ project in 2024. Losgy’s name comes from Gaelic for frog ‘Losgann’. The artwork for Losgy and the cartoon for the pack, was crafted by the talented illustrator Nikki Kulesza, who also designed Newtrino, the Champhibians’ mascot, this new tadpole character is set to become a gateway to learning and exploration for younger children. The Losgy character will bring to life the stories and science of pond environments.

Like the Champhibians Pack for schools The Tadpole pack is supported by the SSAAR Education Officer, Janet Ullman who can support Early years classes and groups as they start their exploration of their ponds.

“The story of tadpole to frog is one most Early years children are familiar with, it is an introduction to the wonder of life and one that can be explored in most village and city ponds. The Tadpole Pack serves to help and encourage early year providers to explore their local ponds with confidence, opening up not only the world of the frog but all of the other animals that live in and around their watery home” explains Janet.

The Tadpole Pack is currently available to Nurseries and Early Years groups  in Scotland, but it is hoped that this resource will be adapted four use in England and Wales in the future. ARC staff are also creating education resources for other age groups. This will further our aim to inspire people of all ages to value and protect our native amphibians and reptiles. Keep eye on our education pages for updates.

If you have a budding herpetologist in your life, take a look at our ARC Junior Membership which includes a Fun Pack, full of entertaining and educational activities and games, and an exclusive Fun Zone on the ARC website.

View The Tadpole Pack and supporting resource sheets.

The Tadpole Pack