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Groundhog Day
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Popular legend tells us that a groundhog awakens from hibernation and peeks out of his hole on February 2. If he sees his shadow, it indicates there will be 6 more weeks of winter. If it is cloudy and he does not see his shadow, Spring is on its way!
A groundhog is also called a woodchuck. Groundhogs are aniamls that go into a deep sleep when the weather is cold. This deep sleep is called hibernation. When warmer weather comes, the groundhog's body warms up, and it begins to wake up.
A groundhog lives underground in a burrow. It digs its burrows with its front feet.
:Books:
:Poems & Songs:
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February 2nd
Psst! Mr. Groundhog,
Today is your day.
Come out of your den.
From your winter's stay.
Is winter over
and spring on its way?
Is that your shadow?
Will you run away? |
My Shadow
My Shadow is a quiet friend
Who always sticks near me.
All day long he hangs around
Right there for me to see.
My shadow is always with me
Whenever there is light.
But I wonder where my shadow goes
When it gets dark at night.
- Sharon Siegelman |
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On Groundhog's Day
[tune: "Mary Had a Little Lamb"]
Do you see your shadow, shadow, shadow?
Do you see your shadow?
On Groundhog's Day?
Yes, I see my shadow, shadow, shadow,
Yes, I see my shadow
On Groundhog's Day.
I don't see my shadow, shadow, shadow,
I don't see my shadow
On Groundhog's Day.
- Betty Ruth Baker |
Mr. Groundhog
[tune: "Frere Jacques"]
Mr. Groundhog, Mr. Groundhog,
Are you there? Are you there?
Will you see your shadow,
We all want to know,
Groundhog Day, Groundhog Day.
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The Little Groundhog
[tune: "The Hokey-Pokey"]
The little groundhog peeks
from beneath the ground.
He rubs his sleepy eyes and he starts to look around.
He sees his little shadow; then he quickly runs away!
And that's all for Groundhog Day! Hey! |
["I'm a Little Teapot"]
I'm a little groundhog, short and fat.
I'm smaller than a pig, but bigger than a cat.
If I see my shadow, winter's here to stay.
but if I don't, spring's on its way. |
Little Groundhog
[tune: "I'm a Little Teapot"]
I'm a little groundhog
Small and round.
I sleep in a burrow
Deep in the ground.
I look to find my shadow
On Groundhog Day
To tell you if spring is
On its way!
Use this song to go with a cute mask craft.
To make one mask, cut out two eyeholes from a brown paper plate.
Then have a child glue on construction paper ears, cheeks, teeth, and a nose.
Tape a jumbo craft stick to the back of the mask.
-Sarah Booth - Messiah Nursery School |
A Groundhog Activity Song
[tune: "Pop! Goes the Weasel"]
Mr. Groundhog is inside his home,
Warm, and fast asleep.
(Lie down, rest head on hands, and close eyes.)
But he'll wake up and poke his head out
For one tiny peep.
(Slowly stand up and look around cautiously.)
If the day is cloudy and cool,
He'll go for a stroll.
(Walk around slowly, looking at everything.)
But if the sun is shining bright -
Pop! Back in his hole!
(Jump into a curled-up position with hands covering head.) |
Up Pops the Groundhog
Up pops the groundhog
(Make fist with right hand. Pop up thumb with winter groundhog.)
Every Groundhog Day.
(Wiggle thumb.)
If he sees his shadow,
(Nod head "yes".)
Wintertime will stay.
(Wiggle fingers down for "snow.")
Up pops the groundhog
(Make fist with left hand. Pop up thumb with spring groundhog.)
Every Groundhog Day.
(Wiggle thumb.)
If he doesn't see his shadow,
(Nod head "no".)
Spring is on the way.
(Wiggle fingers up for "flowers".)
- Margi Rossetti (Lollipops, Issue 93, 1999) |
If I Were a Groundhog
If I were a groundhog, there's really no doubt
I'd stay cuddled up and I wouldn't come out.
Why would I wake up and come out of my hole?
Just to search for my shadow, I'll get really cold! |
:Reading:
 Before reading any of the groundhog day books to the class, encourage children to share their morning routines with the class. Have them tell what they do first, second, thrid, fourth, and fifth. After reading a groundhog day story, challenge children to compare their morning to the groundhog's.
(*I use a mini-booklet from Scholastic's Let's Find Out called "Groundhog In a Hurry.")
My Weekly Reader - "Does This Groundhog Have a Shadow?"
This issue talks about what shadows are. The issue also has a 4-scene sequencing activity. Children must listen to the story and then put the pictures in the correct order.
[Edition K, January 2001]
Groundhog Day Booklet
Teacher's Helper, Kindergarten, Feb/Mar 1994
Pass The Groundhog
Glue or staple a groundhog cutout on a stick or ruler. Play a game similiar to hot potato using the groundhog stick. To practice dolch sight words or letters or numbers, I will sit the children in a circle. I turn on some fun music and give one person the stick. The children pass the stick around the circle. when the music stops, the child with the groundhog has to answer one of the flashcard questions.(I do not make them leave the circle if they answer wrong ... we just continue playing.) This is so much fun. The children love it!
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:Social Studies:
Find out the groundhog's forecast. On Febuary 1st, have the class take a poll. How many children think the groundhog will see his shadow? Record results on the chart paper. On February 2, if the groundhog sees its shadow, there will be six more weeks of winter (count 6 weeks on your calendar). If it's cloudy and the groundhog does not see its shadow, spring is on the way.
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:Science:
My Weekly Reader January 2001 - Listening activity.
a. Circle the picture of the animal that is in the same family as a groundhog.
b. Circle the picture of a groundhog's home.
c. Circle the picture of the 2 foods that a groundhog does not eat.
d. Circle the picture that shows the season when groundhogs wake up.
Shadow Pictures
Using an overhead projector, make shadow pictures on the wall. Have children come up and see what kinds of shadows they can make.
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:Art:
Groundhog Day Hat
Color and cut out a groundhog face pattern. Glue or staple it to a green sentence strip or strip of green construction paper.
Interactive Mr. Groundhog
I like to take the song from above, "Mr. Groundhog", and type it up on the computer. I give each child copy of the poem and have them cut them out. We glue them on the left side of a blue paper. I give each child a brown groundhog cutout and a black groundhog cutout (the shadow). Using a brad, we fasten the groundhog cutouts to the blue paper at the bottom of the groundhog. Children can move the groundhog and shadow to predict the upcoming weather.
Groundhog Bag Puppet
Use groundhog face cutouts to make a paper bag puppet to act out some of the fingerplays and songs of the special day!
Groundhog Puppet
[Carson-Dellosa CD-0824]
Reproduce a puppet pattern for each child. Use Carson-Dellosa's or another 4" groundhog pattern and a 6 1/2" strip of green grass. Gather a craft stick and one styrofoam cup per child, some glue, scissors, and crayons. Color the groundhog pattern and glue it to the craft stick. Glue the grass pattern to the bottom of the cup. When the glue has dried, let each child push the craft stick through the bottom of the cup. The child may then move the stick up and down to make the groundhog pop in and out of his hole.
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:Snacks:
Groundhog Cupcake
You will need a class supply of chocolate frosted cupcakes.
You will also need a package of nutter-butter cookies, brown squeeze icing, and green sugar sprinkles.
Add a face to the top part of the nutter butter cookie (the groundhog). Place the cookie into the middle of the cupcake so the "groundhog" is standing up. Use the green sprinkles around the "groundhog" to represent the grass.
Groundhog Day Cupcakes
Ingredients for one: 1 cupcake, chocolate frosting, 2 vanilla wafers, 3 m&m's and 2 miniature marshmallows.
Directions:
1. Spread the chocolate frosting on the cupcake.
2. Add two vanilla wafers for ears.
3. Add 3 m&m's for eyes and a nose.
4. Add two marshmallows for teeth.
5. Enjoy!!
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