Groundhog Day

Today is Groundhog Day.  I know some people who say that it really isn't a holiday, but for children it is a fun day.  It was actually a day that I looked forward to as a child so naturally I planned some activities for my girls to do.

I wasn't about to let our colds get in the way today. (We've all been sick!)  We started off watching this year's prediction from the Groundhog celebration in Punxsutawney Pennsylvania.

What did the Groundhog predict today?

An early Spring!  This has been a long and COLD winter.  I don't remember this many days being below freezing.  It's another cold day today so hopefully he's right.

We have several Groundhog Day books that we enjoy reading or listening to on CD.  We made it through most of the books.

Then a craft.  Last year we made Banana Groundhogs and this year we made a Groundhog coming up out of his burrow.

Olivia and Lucy working on their puppets.  This is our new school room that I just finished putting together last week.

Olivia with her puppet.  There is a craft stick that moves the groundhog up and down in the cup.

For my foreign friends you might be asking what Groundhog Day is.  This is what Wikipedia says:

Groundhog Day is a holiday celebrated on February 2 in the United States and Canada. According to folklore, if it is cloudy when a groundhog emerges from its burrow on this day, it will leave the burrow, signifying that winter will soon end. If it is sunny, the groundhog will supposedly see its shadow and retreat back into its burrow, and winter will continue for six more weeks.


The largest Groundhog Day celebration is held in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. Groundhog Day, already a widely recognized and popular tradition, received worldwide attention as a result of the 1993 film of the same name, Groundhog Day, which was set in Punxsutawney and featured Punxsutawney Phil. (the name of the groundhog).


The holiday, which began as a Pennsylvania German custom in southeastern and central Pennsylvania in the 18th and 19th centuries, has its origins in ancient European weather lore, wherein a badger or sacred bear is the prognosticator as opposed to a groundhog. The holiday also bears some similarities to the medieval Catholic holiday of Candlemas. It also bears similarities to the Pagan festival of Imbolc, the seasonal turning point of the Celtic calendar, which is celebrated on February 1 and also involves weather prognostication and to St. Swithun's Day in July.