Flumpa The Frog Gets St Rose Preschoolers Hopping

By Larissa Lytwyn

He’s goofy, gargantuan — and absolutely loves to sing and dance.  

Is it Barney the purple dinosaur?

No — meet Flumpa the Frog, tree frog to be exact.

Flumpa and Friends Live is a national touring children’s show created by the husband-and-wife-team of Wendy Whitten — “the singing scientist” — and veterinarian Keith Frickey.

The pair recently paid a memorable visit to the St Rose preschool.

“Ms Whitten has a passion for music,” said preschool teacher Paulette Calderone. Ms Whitten is the first cousin of Ms Calderone’s husband.

“Though they live in [Nashville], Tennessee, they only spend about two weeks at home during the year,” said Ms Calderone. “They’re always traveling.”

Flumpa and Friends Live have been touring for about ten years, Ms Calderone said. They have performed at a variety of schools and children’s festivals across the country, including an annual Easter-time visit to the White House.

In songs like “Reptile v Amphibian,” Ms Whitten chose more than a dozen eager volunteers to don signs bearing the names of reptiles or amphibians.

Amphibians, including salamanders, frogs and newts, were compared and contrasted to reptiles, including crocodiles.

“I really like the singing,” said 6-year-old Taylor Brinker. “It’s very fast and good.”

Heliett Sanchez usually brings her son, Nathan, to the preschool on Mondays and Wednesdays.

“But when we heard about this special program, we decided to come today just for that,” she said. “I’m glad we came. The music is very fun — and the lessons are educational!”

Ms Whitten and Mr Frickey came equipped with giant loudspeakers that made the prerecorded music, coupled with Ms Whitten’s substantive voice, vibrate through St Rose’s performance room walls.

On the stage overhead hung a large screen flashing different shots of tree frogs. A Flumpa and Friends Live poster and cutouts of hot pink butterflies were positioned at the right hand of the stage.

A small tank containing small amphibians was displayed on a table, covered, of course, with a plastic tablecloth bearing a cheerful rainforest motif.

In addition to singing about the differences between amphibians and reptiles, Flumpa and Friends explored the depths of the Amazon rainforest in “Swamp Stompin’” and boogied down to “A Frog’s Life,” which taught students how frogs evolve from tadpole to full-grown amphibian.

Ms Whitten has also published books and CDs in a series called Flumpa’s World. The merchandise is at large retail outlets and online at web merchants including www.amazon.com.

To learn more about Flumpa and Friends Live, visit www.flumpa.com or call 800-335-8672.