Groundhog Day
*Fingerplay/Songs
Groundhog, Groundhog
Sung to: "baa baa black sheep"
Groundhog, Groundhog, popping up today.
Groundhog, Groundhog, can you play?
If you see your shadow, hide away.
If there is no shadow, you can stay.
Groundhog, Groundhog, popping up today.
Groundhog, Groundhog, can you play?
I'm a Little Groundhog
sung to: "I'm a Little Teapot"
I'm a little groundhog short and stout,
February second I will come out.
If I see my shadow they will shout,
Six weeks more winter without doubt!
*Art
Sponge paint Groundhog
Cut a groundhog shape out of a sponge and let the children sponge
paint a collage of groundhog shadows, with black sponge painting on
white paper
Shadow Hunting
Need: paper, markers, black construction paper, scissors.
Children draw sunny pictures and then identify things within them
that could have shadows. They can cut shadow forms from the black
paper and glue them on. Encourage children to tell or write about
their pictures.
*Group Time
Shadow Detectives
Need: paper, crayons
Ask children to find unusual shadows in the classroom. Encourage them
to hunt for shadows that intrigue them. Model how to lay the paper on
a shadow and trace it. Display the tracings and ask children to
identify the different objects.
Invite children to talk about why they chose a particular shadow.
Shadows
Need: Various objects and white paper. (would be better to use black
paper and white crayons/chalk.)
Ask children to look for shadows around the room and to guess which
objects are making them. They can experiment by using their bodies to
make shadows in sunny parts of the room.
Trace your fingers around shadows in order to make sure children
understand what you are asking them to find.
Show them how to use their hands to create shadow animals. Then ask
children to make shadows with their hands or simple objects on white
paper while others others trace the shape with a pencil.
Ask them to tell you or show you how they make shadows, and give them
time to experiment with shadows until they begin to understand that,
shadows are formed when the light is blocked.
*Games
Shadow Dancing
Need: cassette player, instrumental cassettes displaying musical variety.
Gather children in a sunny area and invite them to move to music. In
doing so, challenge children to observe their shadows and find ways
to use their whole bodies to make the shadows taller or shorter,
creating unique "shadow dances."
Shadow Tag (outside game)
Have children find their shadows. On the word "go". the
tagger tries to "tag" the "walker" by stepping on
his/her shadow and yelling "caught". Last child tagged
becomes the next tagger.
*Science
Shadow Clocks
Need: Coffee can or sand bucket, stick, 12 rocks.
Explain to children that we can use shadows to make a kind of clock.
As children make their clock use the hours of the day in a natural
context. At 11 o'clock we eat lunch. What time do you eat supper?
To construct a clock, ask children to fill the coffee can to the top
with moist sand. Then press the stick firmly in place. Place the can
in direct sunlight with a stone in the sand at the top of the shadow
cast by the stick.
Later, let children check to see where the shadow of the stick
appears and mark it with a new stone. As the day passes, they will
observe how the shadow changes position. Ask children to predict
whether they will see a shadow at the end of the day, when the sun
goes down
*Other Sites
Lil' Fingers Groundhog's Day has fun for younger children with
a hide-n-seek game, spring predictor and coloring pages.
"Here's A Little Groundhog" mini book
Groundhog color pages
Will The Groundhog See His Shadow? color page
Printable activity sheets for pre-school & kindergarten.
Help
the Groundhog find his shadow
Match
the Shadows
"Here's
a little groundhog" Cute color page. Groundhog poem and
picture to color.
Measuring With Shadows
The Official Site of the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club
Groundhog Day facts and factoids
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