This week is a school holiday for our children in Kampala. The equivalent of American Spring Break- an entirely different academic year from the UK system! The children are back at school next week, but will also have the long Easter weekend away from school.
For this past week of school holiday, Joel volunteered to look after the class pets- a tank of tadpoles! I agreed without grasping the actual responsibility that such a task would mean...!!!
The responsibility started on the day when I collected the tadpoles, along with a car full of children, from school. We had 2 tupper-ware containers full of special pond water, with carefully placed rocks and sand. Plus the little tadpoles swimming merrily around inside each tub.
As we climbed into our hot car, I started to be concerned about how the tadpoles would survive Kampala's equatorial heat, which permeated our car. The temperature was a far cry from the cool of the stone-walled classroom the tiny tadpoles had become accustomed to!
In my mind, I imagined the drama if the tadpoles were to die- the sobs and tears of a classroom full of 6 and 7 year olds, distraught by the demise of their class tadpoles! I knew at that moment that I had just taken on a huge duty to do all I could to help these creatures to survive! I had to avoid mass sorrow! I must not be to blame for upsetting a class full of young children!
We started the drive home. And I discovered another potential problem: how could we keep the water (and therefore the tadpoles!) in the tupper-ware containers as we drove home? As I have mentioned on previous blogs, Kampala is VERY hilly. Driving uphill and then downhill with a shallow tank of water and trying to keep the water level is no mean task!
Thankfully, Esther boldly took on the challenge! She sat in the front seat, where she could better anticipate the steepness of each hill- and she tried to tip and angle the containers as we drove, to minimise any spillage of special pond water!
Next, it became apparent that the rocks and sand were shifting and that the tadpoles were being swamped by masses of rock and sand in their little tubs. HELP! We grabbed an empty plastic box we happened to have in the car and put the tadpoles' tubs in the box. We then removed all the rocks and placed them around the tupper-ware tadpole tanks to secure them and to stop the rocks from squishing the mini pond life. Pond water started to splash out over the sides of the tupper-wares, but we had thankfully contained it in the plastic box and could replenish the water levels once we stopped the car!
By the time we had reached home, I was a little frazzled! I was keen to see these tadpoles placed in a safe place with their pond water and rocks replaced- and peace restored.
The tadpoles tanks were set up in Joel's room:
Imagine Joel's excitement just two days later when one of the tadpoles emerged from the water with his new legs all intact- in fact, no longer a tadpole, but a tiny, cute frog!!
This is the best photograph I could get, considering how teeny tiny the frog was:
Joel was thrilled! He talked of telling his teacher and showing his classmates! He spent ages in his bedroom just watching the creature and the other tadpoles.
I was in the kitchen a short while later when Joel came in, concern written all over his face, to report that the frog had leapt out of the tub and disappeared behind his bookcase! What should we do?? I had more flashing images of distraught children crossing my consciousness.... We must save the frog!
Joel and I emptied out his bookcase and pulled it away from the wall- and thankfully found Mr. Tiny Frog on the wooden skirting board behind his bookcase. Hurrah!! Joel scooped him up and gently replaced him in his tub.
We then decided to cover the tub with a cake-net, normally used to keep the African flies off my cakes when we eat outside. That way, the frog could jump out of his water but not get lost. Great solution!
When Andrew came in from his flight, he was invited to view the frog, but was under strict instructions (from me!!) to replace the cake-net after viewing.
Then came the great question: what do small frogs eat? How could we keep him alive and well fed? We used Google and discovered that a diet of fresh grasshoppers and worms would be suitable. Ugh!! Happily, Joel, Ben and Ben's friend Matthew were delighted to be given the task of collecting this tasty food for the frog! Minutes later, grasshoppers and worms were being passed through the bedroom window!
There was some debate about whether dinner should be served dead or alive, but this problem was solved when we found that grasshoppers are tricky to keep as snacks, as they kept hopping away before we could feed them to the frog! Their heads were duly squashed between the fingers and thumbs of small boys- and the frog had plentiful food in his cake-net universe...
The next day, we had visitors with 3 young children. Sadly,the cake-net was moved aside- and none of us have seen Mr. Frog since. :-(
We have searched high and low... but he is nowhere to be found. It is with dread that I anticipate breaking the news to Joel's class on Monday! We tried our best with the great responsibility of Tadpole-Duty! We did not fully succed!!
Thankfully, one of the other tadpoles is growing his back legs, so we may have another frog to present to Joel's class on Monday. That is, if I can successfully drive the tubs of tadpoles and froglet safely back to school on Monday morning!
The next time my child volunteers for Tadpole-Duty, I will be thinking more seriously about the great responsibility it entails and will definitely want to declare a disclaimer of blame for any loss of pond-life!! Pet tadpoles are more work than I had imagined!
