Frogs? In a terrarium? But the little critters will constantly be trying to jump out-and your kids will constantly find themselves tempted to become accessories, removing the lid when you aren’t looking.

If I might make a modest countersuggestion, find yourself a swamp and scoop up some frog’s eggs-or, since they’re usually a lot easier to spot, tadpoles. Plop them into a fishbowl, toss in a rock or two that protrude above the surface of the water, stretch an old nylon over the top, and sprinkle in a little fish food every so often. Your kids will enjoy watching the tadpoles develop, and then, just as soon as the tadpoles have become froggy enough to haul themselves out of the water and onto the rocks, you and the kids can stage a parade back to the swamp to let the critters go.

The drawback? You’d have to wait until next spring. On the other hand, it wouldn’t surprise me if somewhere on the Internet you could find a little company willing to ship a few frog’s eggs straight to your door. Just go to Google and enter “frogs, not French.”