Groundhog Day Games for Kids
On February 2, all of America waits with baited breath as a groundhog comes peeking out of his manufactured home to greet the chilly Pennsylvania morning. His name is Punxsutawney Phil, and traditionally, if he sees his shadow, it means another six weeks of winter chill. Help your children celebrate this annual tradition by playing games that are associated with Groundhog Day.
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Shadow Game
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Much of the lore of the groundhog lies with his shadow and its weather-predicting properties. Teach children how to manufacture their own shadow by hanging a white bed sheet approximately 2 to 3 feet away from a wall. Your best bet is to drape the sheet over a piece of furniture indoors or hang it from a clothesline outdoors. Secure a small light to the wall, and shine it onto the white bed sheet. Show the children how to make their shadow, and explain to them the story of the groundhog. You can even show the kids how to make shadow puppets.
Groundhog Tunnel
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Groundhogs are members of the squirrel family, but one of their unique traits is their ability to form intricate underground tunnels. Have all but one of the children make their own tunnels by lining them up so that they each stand relatively closely to one another. Ask the children to spread their legs far apart. The single child who is not part of the human tunnel will crawl and wiggle his way in between all the children's legs, just as a groundhog would. This child will then stand up at the front of the line and spreads his legs to become part of the tunnel. The child at the back then leaves the chain, crawls through the tunnel and stands up at the front. Continue this until every child has had a chance to be a groundhog.
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Meterologist
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Teach the kids about weather forecasting, without the sophisticated equipment, by drawing several pictures of winter and spring scenes onto index cards. Hand each of the children a winter scene card and a spring scene card. Place the rest of the cards into a large bag. Ask the children to predict what the weather will be by holding up either the spring or the winter card. Pull one of the cards out of the bag. The children who correctly predict the weather remain in the game, while the others take a seat. Keep drawing cards and asking the children to guess the weather until there is a winner. This child becomes Punxsutawney Phil's Weather Helper.
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