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Our Opinion: Identify way to provide more pre-k opportunity in Pennsylvania

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Coming to America: Remembering where and how our stories began

<p>KINGSTON TWP. &#8212; Touching a live frog can be a memorable experience for children &#8230; and their parents.</p><p>About 20 children and adults were able to do just that on Saturday thanks to the Froggy Fun program at the Frances Slocum State Park Amphitheatre.</p><p>Kathy Kelchner, environmental education specialist for the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources at the park, led a discussion about our amphibious neighbors.</p><p>&#8220;Everybody had a good time,&#8221; she said.</p><p>The children sat with wide-eyed curiosity and wonder as they were able to take a close look at the creatures that are very plentiful in the park and all over Northeastern Pennsylvania.</p><p>The group was surprised to learn there are many species of frogs, each with their own individual songs, feeding habits, living arrangements, colors and more.</p><p>The park is home to several species, including wood frogs, American toads, green frogs, bull frogs, pickerel frogs and gray tree frogs. Some of the species live in the trees, some in the wet meadows, others in the lakes and ponds and some in the deeper forest.</p><p>Kelchner showed those in attendance the unique physical features of frogs and toads and how they differ. The group was surprised about how frogs have long legs for jumping compared to toads which have the shorter legs made for hopping.</p><p>She also discussed with the group the many different sounds frogs and toads make. For example, the wood frog and the spring peeper frog provide songs very common in March and April. Their songs are &#8220;harbingers&#8221; of the beginning of spring, Kelchner told the group.</p><p>The children sat around a picnic table and sang a frog song, played educational games matching frog species to their particular types of homes, listened to stories about tadpoles and used their creativity to color a paper frog. The parents watched from behind, learning as well.</p><p>Frogs play an important role in local nature and deserve to be understood, Kelchner said. They eat &#8220;tons&#8221; of insects and are also food for other animals, she added.</p><p>The children really enjoyed the program because they got to see and touch the animals in a way that&#8217;s up close and personal, she said.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Ben Daniels, 4, of Dallas, touches a frog at the Froggy Fun talk at Frances Slocum State Park Saturday afternoon while his twin sister, Cassidy, looks on. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070316Froggy1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Ben Daniels, 4, of Dallas, touches a frog at the Froggy Fun talk at Frances Slocum State Park Saturday afternoon while his twin sister, Cassidy, looks on. </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070316Froggy2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kathy Kelchner, environmental education specialist at Frances Slocum State Park, talks about the different species of Frogs commonly found within the park. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070316Froggy2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Kathy Kelchner, environmental education specialist at Frances Slocum State Park, talks about the different species of Frogs commonly found within the park. </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070316Froggy3.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Kathy Kelchner, environmental educationspecialist at Frances Slocum State Park, leads a group of 3- to 5-year-olds in the song &#8216;Five Little Soeckled Frogs&#8217; at Frances Slocum State Park Saturday. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/07/web1_TTL070316Froggy3.jpg</photo2><caption2>Kathy Kelchner, environmental educationspecialist at Frances Slocum State Park, leads a group of 3- to 5-year-olds in the song &#8216;Five Little Soeckled Frogs&#8217; at Frances Slocum State Park Saturday. </caption2><photoCredit2></photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Ralph Nardone</p><p>For Times Leader</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach the Times Leader newsroom at 570-829-7242 or on Twitter @TLnews.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Children, adults learn about frogs at Frances Slocum State Park