Groundhog Day Activities

Groundhog Day is approaching quickly and I think we are all hoping that Punxsutawney Phil will NOT see his shadow thus indicating that spring is quickly approaching. This theory has always been confusing to me. If he sees his shadow, doesn”t that mean that the sun is out? And if the sun is out then why would it take spring longer to get here? Am I just confused on the whole matter? Educate me, please!

Anyway, it”s still a fun day to celebrate because there”s no pressure. Your kids really don”t care that much nor do they have any expectations so anything you do will be a huge bonus! Plus, you can practice getting crafty for Valentine”s Day in a few weeks.

There are a variety of activities you can do to highlight the different aspects of Groundhog Day. I always start with explaining what a groundhog is because most children really aren”t very familiar with them. There are a surprising amount of books available at The Rochester Hills Public Library about groundhogs. The following can all be found in the Youth Picture Book area:

• Groundhog Weather School by Joan Holub
• Go To Sleep, Groundhog by Judy Cox
• A Garden For Groundhog by Lorna Balain (This one looks hilarious!)
• Groundhog Gets A Say by Pamela Curtis Swallow
• Brownie Groundhog and February Fox by Susan Blackaby
• The Story of Punxsutawney Phil by Julia Spencer
• Peek-A-Bloom! by Marie Torres Cimarusti *
• Dear Tabby by Carolyn Crimi *

*These two are not specifically about Groundhog Day but do have groundhog characters in them. Peek-A-Bloom! also looks great for really little ones.

Make sure to check out non-fiction books about groundhogs also. These can be found in the Youth Non-fiction area at Y394.2637.

Once you”ve addressed what a groundhog is then you can move on to the other topics surround Groundhog Day. We always love a good Winter vs. Spring weather sorting game. You can follow my Pinterest Groundhog Day Board for tons of different clipart and free printables. You can print the different pictures and then have your child sort them into two different bowls, one labeled “Winter” and the other “Spring.” I prefer to do a Winter vs. Spring sorting game a little differently. My kids don”t like to sit so we do a winter and spring scavenger hunt. We go from room to room in our house and collect items that represent each season and then discuss each one. Then we see if we can remember where we found each item in the house. You could also do this by looking through magazines and family photos.

I loved this Groundhog Day Shadow Painting.  Super fun and easy! You can also buy sun sensitive paper here and here. These activities help form a better understanding of shadows and the sun”s power.

I”m really bummed I didn”t discover this adorable groundhog shaped cookie cutter sooner! I love using Martha Stewart”s Sugar Cookie Cutout Recipe to make cookies. They are so good. Make sure you freeze them like the recipes says though!

We”re hoping to make these really cute groundhog candy pouches for my son to take to school. Adorable!

I hope these activities give you some good ideas for Groundhog Day. Now let”s cross out fingers that this little rodent determines spring is on it”s way!

To learn more about traveling to Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney, read Michael Dwyer”s ARTICLE on the adventure …