Groundhog Day, celebrated on February 2nd every year, is a quirky and charming holiday that offers a unique opportunity for young students to engage in fun and educational activities. On this day, people eagerly await the emergence of Punxsutawney Phil, a famous groundhog, to predict the arrival of spring. The groundhog’s shadow or absence helps determine the season’s future as winter sticks around or prepares to leave. In this blog post, we’ll explore various activities to make Groundhog Day informative and entertaining for your young students. Check out the fun ground hog day activities below!
If you’re like me and you like to find everything in one place, click here and I’ll show you the books and games mentioned in this post!
Send Kids on a Groundhog Fact Hunt
Encourage students to explore the history and folklore of Groundhog Day. Have them search for interesting facts about groundhogs and the traditions surrounding this holiday. Provide prizes for the most unique discoveries.
Create Shadow Science
Teach young students about shadows and how they are formed. Connect this knowledge to the idea of Punxsutawney Phil’s shadow, making it a fascinating science lesson. You can even take the kids outside to check out their shadows. Be sure to bring chalk and let them trace their shadows and decorate them.
Take a Virtual Trip to Gobbler’s Knob
Show your students a virtual tour of Gobbler’s Knob, where the Groundhog Day celebrations occur. It will give them a sense of the holiday’s excitement and festivities. There are tons of videos on YouTube or you can invite families to share images or videos they may have taken if they ever visited.
In your search, you will most likely find many animated Groundhog Day specials that kids will enjoy watching. Not only are these videos entertaining, but educational as well.
Make Cute Groundhog Puppets
Help your students create adorable groundhog puppets using paper, glue, and craft sticks. They can use these to reenact their own Groundhog Day predictions. If you have brown paper bags, these make perfect materials for puppets. Just add googly eyes, or let the kids decorate them as they wish.
Display Weather Charts
Craft weather charts with various weather symbols to help students track and document Punxsutawney Phil’s predictions. Start at the beginning of the school year (or in January) to watch how the weather changes daily!
Log a Groundhog Day Journal
Have students keep a journal where they write about their predictions for the arrival of spring. This can be an ongoing activity leading up to the big day. Use the journals as a morning meeting assignment to welcome kids to the classroom and help them settle into the day’s routine.
Complete Ground Hog Day Activities: Craft and Writing
Whether your kids complete research assignments or need a simple way to jot down their predictions, a Groundhog Day craft is a great place to start. Use the lined paper to invite kids to record their findings, write their predictions, or tell a story. Then, attach the simple groundhog craft, and you will have an excellent display for February.
Groundhog Day Poems
Encourage young poets to write Groundhog Day-inspired poems. This will not only nurture their creativity but also improve their writing skills. The poems don’t have to rhyme; they can be sweet stories to share with the class during the month.
Shadow Prediction Activity
Have students predict whether Phil will see his shadow or not. Encourage them to justify their predictions based on what they’ve learned about shadows. This can be from their research, the weather they have noticed, or anything they have learned during the month. Use a large piece of paper to display their predictions in columns and see who was correct. This is a great way to introduce graphing as well.
Storytime with Groundhog Books
Share age-appropriate books about Groundhogs and Groundhog Day. Reading together is a fantastic way to engage students and introduce them to the holiday’s significance. Plus, if you don’t know much about the topic, the books can help teach! Here are a few cute ones!
The Night Before Groundhog Day by Natasha Wing – These series are always great for students. The poem is written like The Night Before Christmas but tells the tale of each new holiday!
Groundhog Day by Gail Gibbons – Your students will learn fun facts about Groundhog Day and meet some fun characters in this sweet book.
Substitute Groundhog by Pat Miller – Everyone sometimes gets sick of their job, even groundhogs! Share this silly story with students as the Groundhog finds his way.
Wrapping Up
As a teacher, I understand the challenges of finding educational and enjoyable activities for your students. Groundhog Day provides a unique opportunity to spark curiosity and creativity in the classroom. These activities teach kids about the traditions and science behind Groundhog Day and allow them to have fun while doing so. So, embrace the festivities, explore the predictions, and make this Groundhog Day an exciting learning adventure for your young students filled with Ground Hog Day activities. Happy Groundhog Day!
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Click here to see the books and games (plus a cute pair of groundhog earrings) from this post!
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