Today, it seems as though the groundhog day children’s activities are either mentioned in a sentence, if at all.  With all the curriculum requirements, it is easy to see how this minor event can be skipped over entirely in elementary school lesson plans.

If you are looking to sprinkle in a few mentions on February 2nd this year, keep reading as I even have a free printable Groundhog Day Activities Mat below!

What is the history of Groundhog Day?

Groundhog Day actually began centuries ago in Germany where they believed that a badger could give clues as to whether or not the winter would endure, or whether spring was soon ahead.  This information was important to them so they could decide the best time to plant their crops.

Here in the United States, notably in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, the German immigrants kept the tradition.  Since there are no nearby badgers in PA, they had to settle for similar animal and the groundhog was soon the mascot for Groundhog Day.  Canada also celebrates Groundhog Day, as well as other places throughout the world.

How does groundhog day work?

Tradition claims that on February 2nd the groundhog will poke its head out of its burrow.  If it is frightened by its shadow, the groundhog will return to the burrow for 6 more weeks of winter.  If he does not see his shadow, it is said to mean spring is just around the corner.

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for hosting successful classroom celebrations?  This 416 page digital book has you covered! Includes 61 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including holidays such as:

• Groundhog Day
• Winter
• Black History
• Valentines Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Earth Day
• Spring
• Mothers Day
• Memorial Day
• Summer
• Independence Day
• Fall
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

Is Groundhog Day online?

You will be able to see tons of media coverage, including a live webcast of Punxsutawney Phil HERE.  {Until the broadcast is live, they have a recorded version of last year’s event, which is great for students to watch if you aren’t able to stream the live event in your classroom.}

What is groundhog day for kids?

While the history of Groundhog Day is interesting, opening the discussion with kids about groundhog facts in general is also super fun and curriculum related!  Some fun facts about groundhogs:

• How many babies do groundhogs have?

They usually have 2-6 babies in a litter.  Baby groundhogs are called pups, kits, or cubs.

• Do groundhogs have tails?

Sure do!  They have a small bushy tail.  A beaver, which can sometimes be confused with a groundhog, has a flat, wide tail.

• Can groundhogs swim?

Yes!

• Do groundhogs eat in the winter?

Nope.  They are hibernating and are surviving off the fat cells in their body they built up all summer. {Why can’t we do that?  lol!}

• How are groundhogs and woodchucks alike?

They are the same animal, just called different names in different parts of the world.  They can also be known as whistle-pigs or land-beavers.

• How much wood would a woodchuck chuck, if a woodchuck could chuck wood?

About 700 lbs., according to Cornell University.

How do you draw a groundhog?

Groundhogs are not hard to draw at all!  Check out this super fun video to learn how to draw your own cute groundhog and teach your own students too!

Need some other great Groundhog Day crafts for a fun winter activity day in your class?  Check out some of these fun teaching resources:

• Groundhog Number Cards:  Use them for your February calendar or in a working with numbers station.
• Groundhog Day song:  Seems more appropriate for smaller kids, but I have to be honest that I found it quite catchy myself.
• Groundhog Day craft:  I like this craft because it is a great way for students to explain what happens when the groundhog pops up and whether he chooses t stay out or hide again.
• Groundhog Day poem:  Poems galore!

• Groundhog game:   For practicing basic addition and subtraction, drag the image tile to the correct answer.
• Groundhog Day coloring pages:  Color Phil direct from the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club.

How about some free groundhog day activity mats?  While you can print them out on standard-sizes letter paper, they were created for legal (8.5×14 inch) paper instead.  There are 2 pages in both full-color and a black and white version as well.  The answer key is included too!

You can choose to print them separately or back to back.  Perfect for a morning work or early finishers task. It includes a Venn diagram, word scramble, number sentence creation, prediction writing, tally chart activity, spot the differences, Mad Libs style reading, and True/False facts. A little reading, a little math, a lot of fun!

One last tip:  If you want to be able to reuse them from year to year:  print double-sided on legal sized cardstock and laminate.  Student can then use with dry erase markers, erase, and use again the following year!   #worksmarternotharder

I would love to know how you plan to bring up Groundhog Day in your classroom.  Leave us a comment below to share.  Happy digging in!

~Charity

The post What Happened to Groundhog Day Activities for Kids? appeared first on Organized Classroom.

Now – you don’t have to just use them for your calendar!  Print off an extra set for one of the following ideas:

• Pass out to students randomly and make cooperative learning groups easily.  Students group together based on the character on the card – or by number (evens/odds, multiples of 3, 4, 5, or none, etc.)
• Pass out the cards randomly and have students play “war” with them.  They partner up – the higher card wins and that child gets both cards.  The other child sits down.  Keep going until one winner remains.

• Pass the cards randomly and have students line up order by place value.  Perfect for lining up for specials.
• Use the cards in a writing center.  Put the cards in any order and write a sentence about that card next to it.  Students must put the story back into the correct order for practicing sequencing.
• Oh – and of course – you could use them for your calendar this year as well.

You might want to check out:

Need some new ideas for hosting successful classroom celebrations?  This 416 page digital book has you covered! Includes 61 ad-free articles from Organized Classroom, including holidays such as:

• Groundhog Day
• Winter
• Black History
• Valentines Day
• St. Patricks Day
• Earth Day
• Spring
• Mothers Day
• Memorial Day
• Summer
• Independence Day
• Fall
• Halloween
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas

…and even more!

Now available in our Shop!  And the second copy to share with a friend is half price!

See it HERE.

How Many Calendar Days in February?

It gets tricky knowing how many days are in February from year to year.  Is it a leap year with 29 days or a non-leap year with the standard 28?

Here is a fun fact:   Leap years are divisible by 4.   For example the years 2020, 2024, and 2028 are all leap years.

Knowing that they are multiples of 4 can be a fun math problem for your students too!

Classroom Calendar Events for February

Some of the most fun I have had with lessons include events that aren’t traditional holidays throughout the month.

Of course you will have Presidents Day and Washington’s birthday in the United States on any cute pdf printable blank template for the month, but some of the best days to celebrate aren’t common at all!

Check out this list of interesting options for February:

February 1:  Bubble Gum Day – Allow students to chew gum during one lesson of the day

February 2:  Groundhog Day – Make sure to watch the video of Punxsutawney Phil to see whether he sees his shadow or not

February 3:  Superbowl Sunday – Have students create a graph showing a prediction of who they think will win the Superbowl this year

February 4:  Thank a Mailman Day – Make thank you cards for the local postal carrier

February 5:  National Weatherperson’s Day – Watch a video that shows how the weather is shown using a green screen in a TV studio

February 6:  National Chopsticks Day – Have students use chopsticks to pick up letters to build this week’s spelling or vocabulary words

February 7:  Send a Card to a Friend Day – Easy peasy!

February 8:  Kite Flying Day – No idea why this one is in the middle of winter for those in the north, but writing a how to step by step tutorial for building and flying a kite would be fun

February 9:  National Pizza Day – Can you say class pizza party?!

February 10:  Umbrella Day – Take umbrellas outside at recess

February 11:  National Inventors Day – Research a favorite inventor

February 12:  National Lost Penny Day and Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday – Place pennies around the classroom and discuss the 2 holidays.  Whoever finds the pennies throughout the day get to keep them.  At dismissal, gift each student with a penny so everyone gets one to take home.

February 13:  Get a Different Name Day – Have students write an acrostic using a name they wish they had instead of their own

February 14:  Valentine’s Day – Make sure your students know how much you care

February 15:  National Gum Drop Day – Just bring in a bag of gumdrops and show a video for how they are made

February 16:  Do a Grouch a Favor Day – Students write out a notecard explaining hat he or she would do and for whom.  Save until tomorrow.

February 17:  Random Acts of Kindness Day – Using the cards from yesterday, shuffle the stack and randomly hand out to each child.  See who can actually complete the activity before the end of the day.

February 18:  Presidents Day – Read a trade book about our presidents of the past

February 19:  National Chocolate Mint Day – Hand out Andes mints and take a poll to see who likes chocolate, mint, and both.  Create a Venn diagram.

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February 20:  Love Your Pet Day – Take brain breaks throughout the day and allow students to come up and share a few sentences about their pet(s)

February 21:  Card Reading Day – Use cards in a math center to play higher or lower or a place value game

February 22:  International World Thinking Day – Find out more information about this holiday HERE

February 23:  Tennis Day – Have students write out 3 facts about tennis and then go to the gym and practice using the rules

February 24:  National Tortilla Chip Day – Watch a video for how tortilla chips are made while snacking on them

February 25:  National Cupcake Day (Canada) – You can’t go wrong with a cupcake

February 26:  Tell a Fairy Tale Day – Do what it suggests.  Maybe even have it be a collaborative fairy tale in which you begin and then each student adds on to it.

February 27:  No Brainer Day – Ask obvious trivia questions throughout the day, such as “What color is green grass?”

February 28:  Public Sleeping Day – Have students write a creative story about the day when everyone in the world fell asleep at the same time

February 29:  Leap Day  – only on years that are multiples of 4

So many fun activities for February!   Make sure to grab your free pdf printable groundhog calendar numbers below to use as well!

And so much more!  What other ideas could you use with these cards?  We would love to hear your ideas in the comments below!

Have a wonderful rest of the week friends and happy teaching,

~Charity

The post Popping Up in February appeared first on Organized Classroom.