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For under $10 you can buy a learning experience about nature and science and  a little summer entertainment. All you need is a basin about 9 inches deep and 18 inches around, an aquatic plant, a rock and some of the cutest tadpoles you’ve ever seen (We have leopard and green frog tadpoles.). Early June is the best time  to find tadpoles as they’ve just hatched and have not yet sprouted their appendages yet.

A few steps are important to keep the tadpoles thriving. They need de-chlorinated water, so it’s important to either use rainwater or let the water sit overnight (if you are using tap water) before adding it to the bowl.

Make sure you have a water plant in their with the roots exposed so the tadpoles can eat, have  a place to hide and have shelter from the sun. Otherwise you’ll have to give them a small bit of fish flakes everyday until they are big enough to hop out and get food themselves.

Little froggies like to have places to perch, so put a rock in the basin with the top exposed so they can come out of the water once in a while.

Keep the water level constant by adding de-chlorinated water when it drops below 2/3 of the bowl.

Put it in an area where they will have plant cover to hide from predators.

And enjoy watching them grow arms and legs and the kids delight as they run out very day to see what kind of magic is happening.

Jennifer D. Rizzo writes about other crafty things at her blog Sanctuary Art.