OUTDOOR CLASSROOM PROJECT PLAN:
EXAMPLE FROG POND
 Frog Pond – A frog pond provides food sources, water, and shelter for frogs and tadpoles. A man-made
frog pond should resemble a small isolated wetland similar to a marsh with shallow, stagnant water.
Marsh plants, including aquatic plants such as grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, and cat tails, not only
provide shelter but also attract insects and insect larvae that provide food sources for frogs and tadpoles
while filtering and aerating the water.
 Location Requirements:
 Low-lying, Moist Area or Near a Spigot (so that you can divert water into the frog pond area or fill
the frog pond with water during low rain levels)
 Flat Area (so the soil in the bottom of the pond will not flow out of the pond in a heavy rain)
 Area Approved for Digging (must not have any utility lines in the area)
 Full or Part Shade (be sure to choose the appropriate plants based on your sunlight conditions)
 Example Frog Pond:
University Place Elementary, Huntsville
Collins Elementary, Scottsboro
(Ex: Large Frog Pond – Using a 12 ft x 6 ft liner)
(Small Frog Pond – Using a 3 ft x 4 ft pre-formed pond shell)
 Estimated Costs:
 Large Frog Pond (7 ft x 10 ft  ~105 cu ft): $260 - $420
 Small Frog Pond (4 ft x 7 ft  ~48 cu ft): $160 - $240
 Tools, Materials & Supplies:
 (8) Shovels (4 for adults & 4 for children)
 (1) pick ax for removal of large stones if necessary
 (2-4) Wheelbarrows for moving dirt, sand & mulch
(30) ½ gal – 1 gal buckets w handles for students to move dirt out of excavated frog pond area and to put
soil and sand into the frog pond
OUTDOOR CLASSROOM PROJECT PLAN: FROG POND
Materials & Supplies
Estimated
Cost
Source of Materials
Monetary/Item
Donation
EST COST: $280 / $440 (w/ Rock Border)
(via Committee Member)
Large Frog Pond – App. 7 ft x 10 ft x 18 in ( ~105 cubic ft. / ~785 gal)
LgFrogPnd
(1) Can of Landscape Spray Paint
$10
Home Improvement Store
LgFrogPnd
(1) 10’x13’ Pond Liner (~8 mil
$60
Home Improvement Store
$10
Home Improvement Store
thick)
LgFrogPnd
(1) 25 ft Soaker Hose
LgFrogPnd
(10) Bog/Aquatic Plants
$50 total
Nursery or Home Improvement
Store
$50 total
Nursery or Home Improvement
Store
$60 total
Home Improvement Store
(see below for list of plants)
LgFrogPnd
(5) Terrestrial Plants
(see below for list of plants)
LgFrogPnd
(6) 5 CF bags of Sand
LgFrogPnd
(4) 2 CF bags of No Float Mulch
$20
Home Improvement Store
LgFrogPnd
30 CF of Soil (w/o weeds in it)
$0
Home Improvement Store
LgFrogPnd
(4-6) Solar LED Path Lighting
$20
Home Improvement Store
Small Frog Pond – App. 4 ft x 7 ft x 18 in ( ~48 cubic ft./ ~360 gal)
EST COST: $180 / $260 (w/ Rock Border)
SmFrogPd
(1) Can of Landscape Spray Paint
$10
Home Improvement Store
SmFrogPd
(1) 7’x10’ Pond Liner (~8 mil thick)
$40
Home Improvement Store
SmFrogPd
(1) 25 ft Soaker Hose
$10
Home Improvement Store
SmFrogPd
(6) Bog/Aquatic Plants
$30 total
Nursery or Home Improvement
Store
$30 total
Nursery or Home Improvement
Store
$30 total
Home Improvement Store
(see project plan for list of plants)
SmFrogPd
(3) Terrestrial Plants
(see project plan for list of plants)
SmFrogPd
(3) 5 CF bags of Sand
SmFrogPd
(2) 2 CF bags of No Float Mulch
$10
Home Improvement Store
SmFrogPd
15 CF of Soil (w/o weeds in it)
$0
Home Improvement Store
SmFrogPd
(4-6) Solar LED Path Lighting
$20
Home Improvement Store
FrogPd
River Rock Border around Bog
$80-160
total
Home Improvement Store
(use part of a 1 ton pallet if possible)
 Frog Pond Plant Suggestions:
Aquatic Plants
Sedges
Grasses
Pennyworts
Water Lilies
Terrestrial Plants
Oakleaf Hydrangeas
Ferns
Toad Lilies
Trillium
Wild Ginger
Jack-in-the-Pulpit
OUTDOOR CLASSROOM PROJECT PLAN: FROG POND
 Construction Instructions:
1) Procure tools, materials & supplies, and have them on-hand for the Frog Pond Build Day.
3) Measure 7 ft x 10 ft rectangle for large frog pond, (or 4 ft x 7 ft for small frog pond) and mark boundaries
of rectangle with landscaping spray paint; then draw shape of the Frog Pond that fits within the rectangle using
the landscaping spray paint.
To calculate the dimensions of your pond:
Length=Length of pond liner –MINUSDepth of your bog xMULTIPLIEDx 2
Example: For a 10 ft x 13 ft pond liner in
an 18 inch deep pond, the Frog Pond
should be drawn out inside an 7 ft x 10 ft
rectangle to allow the pond liner to cover
the sides of the frog pond.
Width=Width of pond liner –MINUSDepth of your bog xMULTIPLIEDx 2
This allows for your pond liner to cover
the bottom and sides of the frog pond.
4) Dig out dirt up to 18 inches in the center (at a 10-20% grade for easy egress and digress for frogs) inside
the spray-painted bog garden area. Note: Some of the dirt that is excavated from the frog pond area can be
placed back in the bottom of the pond.
5) Place the pond liner inside the frog pond area and mold it to the bottom and sides of the pond.
6) Place a soaker hose in the bottom of the bog with the nozzle sticking up out of the pond so that you can fill
the bog with water as needed.
7) Add a soil/sand mixture (at 4:1 ratio) for soil to fill the bottom 8 inches of the pond.
8) Cut away unneeded pond liner leaving 2-3 inches of liner out around frog pond as border (if needed), and
place river rocks on top of liner as edging around pond.
9) Connect soaking hose to a regular hose to fill the pond with water – water level should only reach 8 inches
above soil and should remain 3-4 inches from the top of the pond liner.
10) Plant aquatic plants inside pond and terrestrial plants around the edge of the pond.
11) Optional: Install Rain Barrel on Downspout near the Frog Pond, and attach a soaker hose to the rain
barrel to funnel rain water into the frog pond.
12) Optional: Place solar-powered LED path lights around the pond to attract insects for the frogs and toads
to eat at night.
Frog Pond Project Plan 2011 developed by April Lupardus Waltz, Alabama Wildlife Federation
The Alabama Outdoor Classroom Program is a partnership between:
Alabama Cooperative
Extension System
Alabama Wildlife Federation
Alabama Department of
Conservation & Natural Resources