Wooden Frogs

Now that spring has sprung, our pond has come alive! Reeds and lily pads, ducks and water lilies… not to mention our newest addition… frogs!

In my humble opinion, every household needs its fair share of frogs. Literature would back me up on this. Think of how many fairy tales, poems and songs have frogs as their main character. Heck, seems half the princes were a frog at one time or another! So, it only stands to reason, children need frogs amongst their playthings.

Our little frogs were cut out of ash. The pattern for The Wooden Frog can be found HERE or with our free patterns. Use the pattern and the photos for painting ideas.

For information on cutting out wood, painting and finishing, follow the general directions for our Wooden Apple Orchard.

Just a note: I couldn’t decide whether I simply wanted to cut out my frogs and sand the edges or give them a more sculpted look. In the picture below, the frog on the left was simply cut out and sanded. I did more sanding and carving to the frog on the right. I used some of the dremel attachments to create a furrow between his eyes, to round the back a bit and to further sculpt his nose. I have since asked the children (and anyone else that would give me the time of day!) which they preferred. Results? Equal. So, it’s a matter of choice. I think both ways look cute and have their own appeal.

BTW… I’ve had these frogs done for quite some time and they’ve already been played with… a lot! When I went to gather them up for the “photo shoot” I couldn’t find them. So, I began looking in all the usual places like my pewter tea service, the piano’s keyboard, and amongst the branch blocks. When I headed to the gnome house, this is where I discovered them… quite cozy I’d say 🙂