By Melissa Fletcher

What is Groundhog Day? Groundhog Day is a tradition that began long ago. It is said to have begun as Candlemas Day. On Candlemas Day, the clergy would bless the candles. According to an old English song: If Candlemas be fair and bright, Come, Winter, have another flight; If Candlemas brings clouds and rain, Go Winter, and come not again

Who is Punxsutawney Phil? Punxsutawney Phil is a weather predicting groundhog. It is said that if Phil sees his shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of winter. If Phil does not see his shadow, spring is right around the corner.

Where Does Punxsutawney Phil Live? Punxsutawney Phil lives in a small town named Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania.

What is “The Inner Circle?” The Inner Circle is a group of men who are responsible for carrying on the tradition of Groundhog Day. They also take care of Phil throughout the year.

I’m a Little Groundhog

Activity #1 Create a Song In your small groups, you will create a song about Groundhog Day or Punxsutawney Phil. You will choose from the following tunes:  Row, Row, Row Your Boat  Mary Had a Little Lamb  Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star You will then present your song to the class.

What is a Prediction? A prediction is stating that something will happen in the future. Punxsutawney Phil predicts the weather. If he sees his shadow, there will be 6 more weeks of winter. If he does not see his shadow, spring is on the way.

Punxsutawney Phil’s Prediction

Activity #2 Predictions Pretend you are Punxsutawney Phil. Will there be 6 more weeks of winter, or is spring on it’s way? Write your prediction and tell why you feel there will be 6 more weeks of winter, or why there will be an early spring. Use the Groundhog writing paper provided.

Activities on Groundhog Day Below is a map of places where activities take place on Groundhog Day. On the next page, you will learn about all the fun things you can do on Groundhog Day. Click on the links to learn about the activities.

Activities on Groundhog Day  Weather Discovery Center  Punxsutaney Historical Society  Barclay Square  IUP Culinary Arts Come and taste foods prepared by our students.  Pantall Hotel/Chamber of Commerce Stop here to buy souvenirs!

Activity #3 Planning Your Day You are going to the Groundhog Day festivities in Punxsutawney, but you only have enough time to attend 3 activities. Choose 3 activities you would like to attend. Plan your day by giving directions how to get to each location. Remember to use directions such as north, south, east, and west. Use the worksheet provided.

Weather Predicting Groundhogs Did you know that there are other weather predicting groundhogs? Click on the link below to see a map of other groundhogs that predict the weather. Once there, click on each sun & snowflake to find out if they predicted 6 more weeks of winter or an early spring.

Activity #4: Comparing Predictions Let’s compare the predictions of other groundhogs around the world. Do they agree or disagree? Make a list of the groundhogs names and their predictions. How many predict 6 more weeks of winter? How many predict an early spring? Make a bar graph showing this information.

Fun Facts About Groundhogs

Activity #5: Final Project For your final activity, you will create a project about Groundhog Day. You can choose from the follow project ideas:  Poster  Presentation  Diorama  Song

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