

Even a frog needs a home

Even a frog needs a home

Near a source of water, surrounded by grass, sitting atop a rock, that’s where you’ll find me.

frog habitat

Even those without a physical structure, like a house, have somewhere they go.

The homeless line sidewalks, the more fortunate humans, live in homes of various designs, while animals find places within what we refer to as nature. Mostly, every organism longs to survive, even when personal possessions lack presence.

To date, San Francisco ranks number three on the list of cities battling high rates of homelessness in the United States. Walking by streets filled with makeshift homes is commonplace. A heart wishes the homeless peace and some form of comfort when a wallet lacks insufficient forms of monetary assistance. In a way, as much as help longs to come, it is impossible for one to help all — a sad but truthful reality.

However, they are resourceful and find comfort within the many parks around the city and even tuck temporary homes into the nooks and crannies of the towering city structures. They too find somewhere they can call home even if it opposes the general idea of what a home is.

Likewise, in nature, many animals find spaces within trees, behind bushes and brushes, under rocks, in ponds and so on.

For many, these spaces are their natural habitat while others find ways of being resourceful especially when unexpected changes in weather force this outcome.

Frogs inhabit many places around the world but when reproduction calls, they frequent environments with sources of water. That said since the fifties, there has been a steady decline in the frog population with the blame cast upon habitat destruction, disease, and global warming.

My most recent craft project featured a pipe cleaner frog, and naturally, creation of a habitat came to mind. In nature, animals choose their locations or create one. For obvious reasons, a pipe cleaner frog lacks this sort of ambition. However, my abilities and awareness encouraged a desire to craft up an abode. If only it were that simple to do the same for those humans who struggle every day to find a place to rest their heads or for all the frogs whose survival depends on habitats.

In a way, the creation of a home for my pipe cleaner frog is a figurative way to teach students about the importance of animal habitats and ultimately the role humans play in both the destruction and conservation of the environment.

Take a look!

Using minimal tools, this was one of my most rewarding projects. The action of creating a home for something inanimate also inspired a strong desire to place more focus on environmental conservation as well as the creation of activities that share this intention with my students.

Be Kind To Frogs,


The Bush Life

The Bush Life