Amphibian Crossing Maze Game For grades 1st - 4th 

 Explore: This is a great rainy day ECO activity, which is appropriate since amphibians prefer wet weather to move from their winter forest homes to their vernal pool breeding grounds. Before starting your maze, watch Dave Muska’s telling of the story “A Salamander’s Journey.” Every spring, salamanders and other amphibians make a perilous journey to the vernal pools where they lay their eggs. Oftentimes amphibians have to cross roads to get from the forest to their pool. In addition to cars traveling on the roads, amphibians often fall prey to predators like owls and skunks. Think about what other obstacles salamanders and frogs might come across in their journey and include them in your maze. If you are interested in learning more about amphibian migrations, check out NBNC’s Amphibian Road Crossing citizen science program. 

Create: To build your maze, you will need a distinctive start and end point. The start of the maze should be the forest and the end should be the vernal pool. You may want to sketch out and design your maze before you begin cutting the cardboard walls. Once you have your basic layout, cut out a large square or rectangle out of cardboard to serve as your base. Younger children may need help from an older sibling or adult while assembling their maze. Next, begin cutting out long rectangles to serve as the walls of the maze. The walls should be one to two inches high. Duct tape works well for connecting your walls to your base. Place your obstacles at dead ends. In the example below, the obstacles are: a road with a car, an owl, and a skunk. Once your maze is complete, use a marble or other small ball to act as your salamander or frog. Place it at the start of your maze (the forest), pick your maze up at the base, and begin tilting it to move the amphibian towards the end (the vernal pool). Start over every time you hit an obstacle.

Reflect and Share: What types of obstacles do amphibians face during their spring migrations? What effects do humans have on their migration? How can we help amphibians? What other animals migrate and what challenges might they face?

 

Materials: Cardboard, Tape and/or Glue, Scissors, Marbles or other small balls, Toy Car, Construction Paper (optional), Crayons, Markers, or Paint 

  

Why: Engineering Design, Life Science, Earth and Human Activity, Creativity, Sense and Knowledge of Place.   

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