Frogs.

So my big work sample for student teaching is on frogs. I've been worried about not getting enough concepts in, and failing my unit. I've been planning my unit, and thought the best way to teach about a real frog is to bring a real frog in.

So, in preschool a girl taught a lesson on frogs, and brought in a toad for the kids to hold... umm, which by the way, is NOT a frog. I was shocked that could be allowed. So when I went to Petsmart to get a frog, I told the employee that there's no way I was going to "just get a toad instead".
I asked for tree frogs, because that's the example of a frog I could think of. They said, "No, but we do have some fire-belly toads for only $5.99. Do you want one of those instead?" No way. They said, "Well, we are out of tree frogs right now, but we do have some African Dwarf Frogs." I walked over and found these teeny tiny frogs in the fish tank. I mean, we missed them because they were swimming with the goldfish. But they were only $2.99, and are cared for like goldfish, so I took one. Meet Walter!
Unfortunately, he's so small that I need to go buy a few more. He's probably about 1/2 an inch long, maybe an inch if his legs are extended. The pet shop guy told me that they eat bloodworms, but the frogs have to eat sinking pellets and bloodworms don't sink. So I fed him by hand today, and it was kind of scary.
The best part? He doesn't need a tropical habitat. He's in a fish tank with the Cat in the Hat (it's literacy week).