Groundhog Day is on February 2nd. According to legend, if the groundhog comes out of his burrow on February 2nd and does not see its shadow, then Spring will come early. If the groundhog sees its shadow, then it goes back into its burrow, and there will be six more weeks of winter. The largest celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. There is also a Groundhog Day FREEBIE for you! Grab the Groundhog Day Math & Literacy Centers and the Space Science Unit for shadow resources. This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a tiny commission when you use my links at no cost to you. Groundhog Day Centers and Activities for Literacy. Groundhog Day Prediction Graph! Easy Groundhog Day Crafts for Kids. Preschool Groundhog Day crafts are a fun activity that will encourage your early learners to play and experiment while building important early fine motor skills, hand-eye coordination, and working with a wide variety of materials. Animal Silhouettes (Little Bins for Little Hands) – With Groundhogs Day approaching, make simple animal shadow puppets and explore a fun shadow science physics activity! Draw the Shadow (Little Bins for Little Hands) – This drawing shadows STEAM activity is perfect for unplugged play. Groundhog Sensory Bin (Teach Preschool) – Make your On the other side, have the children use the marker to make a face on the top end of the craft stick. Show the children how to slide the stick up and down through the cup for their Ground Hog to come out and check for its shadow! Ground Hog Day Theme Music and Movement Activities and Ideas to get your Preschoolers Movin' and Groovin'! Shadow Moves Create a chart with the weather patterns for the past few weeks leading up to Groundhog Day. Each day, have the children observe the weather and mark it on the chart. Then, on Groundhog Day, compare the actual weather to Punxsutawney Phil’s prediction. This activity will teach children about how weather patterns can be used to make predictions. Creative Groundhog Activities for Preschoolers 1. Recite Groundhog Day Poems. One of my favorite groundhog day activities on this list is reading cute poems about our favorite groundhog. Your preschool and kindergarten-age kids will love singing these fun groundhog theme songs or poems. Learn More: Erin and Lauren. 2. Make a Groundhog Mask These free Groundhog Day activities for kids will help you explain Groundhog Day and its accuracy and help you make your own predictions. Perfect for preschool, kindergarten, and more. I was born and raised in Pennsylvania, so maybe I have a skewed vision of Groundhog Day. I mean the day, not the movie. You can explain the history of Groundhog Day to your child. A long time ago (in the 1800s), people in Pennsylvania determined that if groundhogs came out of their burrows on February 2nd and saw their shadows, they would get frightened and scurry right back into their burrows, meaning that spring would come late. At some point people began to look to the groundhog to make this prediction. The earliest reference to the groundhog is in an 1841 journal entry. In 1886 the Punxsutawney newspaper declared February 2nd as Groundhog Day and named the local groundhog as Punxsutawney Phil. Since then the day and tradition has spread throughout the United States The Pennsylvania town of Punxsutawney has held Groundhog Day celebrations since 1887. A groundhog named Punxsutawney Phil is removed from his den and observed by reporters and locals. Some residents claim their groundhog has never been wrong, but statistics show this is untrue. Many other places in the United States and Canada have similar Do you have your Groundhog Day activities and crafts ready for the classroom yet? It may be one of the quirkier holidays on the American school calendar, but February 2 is a fun one to mark in the elementary classroom — and not just because kids love finding out whether there will be six more weeks of winter or an early spring. This is a perfect Groundhog Day craft for toddlers to learn about Groundhog Day! Whether you paint, read, or shadow dance, we can’t wait to see how you and your family celebrate the fun tradition of Groundhog Day. Let us know if you tried any of these activities for preschoolers and toddlers by tagging @radioflyerinc in your photos on social Groundhog Toy Figure. Groundhog Hand Puppet. Funko Games: Groundhog Day. Happy Groundhog Day Garden Flag. Groundhog DIY Felt. Groundhog Stickers Ways to Make Learning About Groundhogs Fun If your kids are curious about groundhogs, there’s a good chance you can spot one in fields, forests, or even grassy areas near your home. Groundhog Day is a unique holiday, and sometimes it's hard to know how to celebrate. Try these preschool activities that include sorting, singing, science, and pre-writing options all related to In this video, kids will learn all about the history and celebration of Groundhog Day.00:00 Introduction0:07 What is Groundhog Day?0:28 The history of Ground Whether the groundhog sees its shadow or not, you can keep the fun going with Groundhog Day coloring pages for kids. These printable coloring sheets are a great way to teach children about this unique day while sparking their creativity. Well, officially there is only one Groundhog Day and that is February 2nd. Enjoy leading up to the day with these Groundhog Day books for preschoolers and older students. Groundhog Books for Preschool and Up. I’ve divided these books into three categories. Books About Groundhogs; Books About Groundhog Day; Books About Shadows These simple and fun groundhog Day Activities, Crafts and Songs are perfect for your preschool class. A shadow is a hard thing to explain to a child so it’s always fun to demonstrate what a shadow does. My awesome co-teacher thought of these cute ideas. Props to Miss Honey! Get a flashlight or even better a projector to shine on a preschool wall. For preschoolers, you can explain it simply: if the groundhog sees its shadow, it means winter will stick around a little longer, but no shadow means spring is on the way. Using colorful visuals like pictures of groundhogs, shadows, and the sun can help make these ideas easy to understand and more engaging.
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