According to folklore, on Groundhog Day if the groundhog pokes his head out of his hole and sees his shadow , there will be six more weeks of winter weather. If he doesn't see his shadow and leaves his burrow, then spring weather will begin very soon. Groundhog Day celebrations take place across the country with the largest in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, where the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil lives. Enjoy Groundhog Day with these fun family activities.
Make Groundhog Day crafts
Young kids love puppets. You can make a simple groundhog puppet out of a paper lunch bag. Kids can draw the groundhog's face on the bag with crayons, markers or paint. Also try one of these other fun Groundhog Day crafts — perfect for preschoolers and other young kids.
Peek-a-boo groundhog
What you'll need:
- felt
- craft stick
- scissors
- craft glue
- googly eyes
- Paper cup
What you'll do:
- Cut a piece of brown felt to create the groundhog. Glue it to cover the top half of the craft stick. You can cut the nose, ears and mouth out of different colors of felt to add some features to your groundhog.
- Glue the googly eyes along with your other features into place.
- Cut green felt or construction paper big enough to wrap around the outside of your cup with about a 1-inch overhang at the top. Cut slits around the edge of the felt to create the "grass" and then glue the felt around the cup.
- Cut a slit into the bottom of the cup and then stick your groundhog on the craft stick through the hole. Your child can hold the bottom of the stick and push it up and down so that the groundhog plays peek-a-boo.
Paper plate groundhog
What you'll need:
- paper plate
- brown paint
- paint brush
- marker
- white, black and brown construction paper
- 2 white pipe cleaners
- scissors
- glue
What you'll do:
- Paint the back side of the paper plate brown, and let the paint dry completely.
- Cut out two ovals from the white construction paper and two slightly smaller ovals from the black construction paper. Glue the black ovals to the top of the white ovals to form the eyes, and then glue the eyes to the paper plate.
- Use your pen to draw a nose and mouth for the groundhog in the center of the plate.
- Cut the two pipe cleaners into thirds and glue three pieces on either side of the nose to make whiskers.
- Cut two rectangles out of the white construction paper, and glue them under the mouth to make the groundhog's teeth.
- Lastly, cut two semi circles out of the brown construction paper. Glue the semi circles to the top of the paper plate to make the ears.
More Groundhog Day fun
Trace shadows
Teach your little ones about their shadows. All you need is a big roll of butcher paper and a lamp. One child can trace the other child's shadow onto the paper, and then they can trade places. Your kids can trace shadows to create silhouette pictures, or just color in the tracings when they are finished.
Track the weather
Help your kids create a chart to track the weather and see if this year's Groundhog Day prediction is right. Set up columns for the high and low temperatures, precipitation, etc. for the next six weeks. You never know — the groundhog just may be right this year!
Read about how to make silhouette pictures>>
Color the groundhog
Teach your children about the groundhog . National Geographic offers some great pictures and information about the animal. Even young kids can learn about the groundhog. You can find free coloring pages featuring a Groundhog Day theme on various websites. This Groundhog printable is adorable and perfectly suited for the holiday.
Check out more printables and coloring pages >>
Watch the movie
Celebrate Groundhog Day by watching the 1993 film of the same name. The town of Punxsutawney and its groundhog, Phil, are portrayed in the film, even though it was actually shot in a town in Illinois. The movie Groundhog Day stars Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell. Phil Connors is a weatherman covering the Groundhog Day events in Punxsutawney and finds himself repeating the same day over and over again.
Image credit: Amy Vowles
More winter family fun
Fun winter sports for the whole family
Ways for your family to beat the winter blues
How to create a winter garden with kids