Fwd: Frogs of Stone
Wendy Nadherny Fachon
From: Wendy Nadherny Fachon, Host of the Story Walking Radio Hour <storywal...@substack.com>
Date: Sun, Nov 16, 2025 at 10:55 AM
Subject: Frogs of Stone
To: <storywal...@gmail.com>
While checking my herb garden, I spotted an unusually bumpy rock on the ground and bent down for a closer look. The rock turned out to be a magical frog. It seemed to be saying “Ah, you found me. But wait ! Keep looking! Now you see me...” It hopped up onto some cement next to the garden and disappeared, “Now you don’t!”
Well, the frog did not truly disappear. Rather, it used its camouflaging abilities to create an optical illusion. Its bumpy texture and mottled gray coloring blended in perfectly with the rough gray cement background. It was the most clever performance.
The Gray Tree Frog is an excellent camouflage artist, known for its ability to change colors, between gray and green, depending on the substrate upon which it sits. This little frog used this superpower to show off and grab my attention. Why did it wish to grab my attention? It needed to tell me something. What did it want to tell me about? I listened through my heart and heard two words…
Grounding and Earthing! Grounding is a wonderful way to calm worries and scary thoughts. Just sit on the ground, wherever you are, and imagine connecting with the Earth. Focus on just being and breathing. Breathe in slowly. Breathe out slowly and relax. Slow down your racing heart. Then use all your senses to experience the present moment. Become One with the Earth. Earthing involves any activity that electrically reconnects you to the earth, like standing barefoot on the grass, getting your hands dirty with garden soil, or nesting in a pile of fall leaves. The electromagnetic frequency of the earth measures 7.83 Hz. This frequency is called the Schumann resonance. Many people call it the heartbeat of Mother Earth - healing vibration.
Have you ever seen a cuter frog? What else did this cute little critter come to teach us? Change and Adaptability. Life is full of change. Adaptability is the ability to adjust to different conditions or circumstances. Every frog has the ability to transform from a tadpole living in a pond, to a fully grown frog living on land. The little Gray Tree Frog grows to adapt to living up in the trees, where it blends with the tree bark. It climbs using sticky pads on its fingers and toes. The journey from pond to tree may seem perilous, yet this little frog is here to remind us that no matter how down and dirty things may seem, there is always hope for the future. Just adapt yourself to the situation. Sometimes change can feel disturbing and unsettling. Grounding allows us to reflect and connect with our inner wisdom. In this way, we learn to accept and even embrace change. When we learn how to adapt to change, we grow stronger and wiser. How does the Gray Tree Frog adapt to the cold winter weather? They hibernate in trees, under logs and beneath leaf litter. As they days get shorter, they stockpile glycogen in their liver, then convert it to glycerol – an “antifreeze” that protects their cells when they literally freeze solid. Stone cold frogs! Come spring, they thaw and hop off as if nothing happened. Another superpower! Cryoprotectant!
GET CRAFTY Paint a rock to look like an animal. Keep it as a pet rock or place it in your garden. Find a rock with a shape that reminds you of an animal, and paint the animal on the rock. I found a rock that looked like a frog. Turtle, beetle, rabbit, a sleeping squirrel or a fox curled up in a ball… the possibilities are infinite.
Materials small oval rock photographs for reference acrylic paint (white, black, brown and/or green) paint brushes (assorted sizes) paper plate to mix colors pencil and eraser toothpick cut in half black Sharpie marker (fine or medium point) clear acrylic gloss (optional) Instructions
If you wish to share your creation, post it on instagram with these hash tags… #StoryWalkingArt #CreativityRocks GO ON A ROCK WALK A beach or river bed is a wonderful place to hunt for smooth stones. Search for a special rock. Find one that feels good in the palm of your hand. This will be your grounding stone. Close your eyes and feel your stone. What is its shape, texture and weight? Is it warm or cool? How does your hand feel holding it? Open your eyes and look. What color is it? Are there many different colors or many different shades of one color? Are there any strange lines or imperfections. Do you notice a face or other shape on the surface of the stone? Close your hand around the stone and return your attention to feeling it. Breathe in slowly. Breathe out slowly. Continue breathing and connect with your stone. Carry your grounding stone in your hand as you walk or put it in your pocket. Consider writing or painting a word on your special stone. Pick one word that feels good: breathe, calm, sooth, serene, peace, love, gratitude, believe, angel. Write about your rock walk. Where did you go? What did you find? How did it feel? What did you think? If you discovered something about yourself, what did you discover? READ A FUN BOOK TO LEARN MORE Visit your library and ask for help finding books about frogs and rocks. If You Find a Rock, written by Peggy Christian and photographs by Barbara Hirsch Lember, celebrates rocks everywhere—as well as the mysterious and wonderful places they are found. Skipping rocks, splashing rocks, climbing rocks, wishing rocks, and even “walking rocks!” Roxaboxen, written by Alice McLerran and illustrated by Barbara Clooney, takes readers to a magical community created by children, using rocks, wooden boxes and creativity. Based on a real place in Yuma, Arizona, Roxaboxen is a celebration of children’s imagination. The Prince in the Pond by Donna Jo Napoli, is about is a topsy-turvy tale about a prince, De Fawg Pin, who gets turned into a frog. We follows his awkward journey as he learns how to jump, eat bugs, and survive. This delightful story offers subtle lessons about change, adaptation, and life in a vernal pool. Purchase copies of these books for gift giving to support these authors and their legacies. Storywalker Wendy is host of the Story Walking Radio Hour and founder of StoryWalking.com. Her magical podcasts, stories and activities encourage outdoor learning and engagement, and her dream is for every child to fall in love with Nature. Thanks for reading! Subscribe for free to receive new posts and support my work.
© 2025 Wendy Nadherny Fachon
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