1-2-3 Come Do Some Groundhog Activities With Me

I do a variety of groundhog-themed activities during the week of Groundhog Day.

One day (February 2nd) is simply not enough time to take a look at these interesting animals, which provide a way for me to get in a bit of science, non-fiction reading, as well as use them as a fun theme for word work (GR blend, compound words) plus math centers, where we count groundhogs, do puzzles, and practice graphing (Will he or won't he see his shadow?) predictions.

With that in mind, I designed two groundhog “flip the flap for facts”  booklets. One includes fun facts about groundhogs, the other has interesting information about Groundhog Day.  First up, is the background information about Groundhogs.

Don’t know anything about groundhogs? No worries. I’ve done tons of research so you don’t have to.
Simply make the teacher’s edition booklet, familiarize yourself with whatever facts you want to share, then read them to your students.

I categorized simple and interesting information into: characteristics, habitat, home, diet, hibernation, young, predators & behavior.

There are 2 "flip up" pages to a one-page template for easy printing.

Besides the teacher’s edition, there are blank page patterns so you can program them however you want, as well as pages with the category headers, so that students have a guide for their research and written answers. 

I purposely did not number any pages, so that you can choose which topics you want your students to explore.

The booklet provides a simple and fun way to introduce research and writing a report, which can be done individually, with a partner, or in a small group of four.

The cover (head of the groundhog) is run off on tan construction paper. Students add highlights and shading with crayons. The base or back cover of the booklet is printed on card stock.

The pages are trimmed and just the top "glue tab" is glued to the base of the booklet.  When all of the pages have been collated, the cover is glued down on top of the base, so that the "mouth" portion of the groundhog "flips up" to reveal the informational pages underneath. Again you have the option to choose which pages you want your students to include.

There are just 8 pages to do independently, (if you choose all of the categories) which can also be divided into a 4-page partner assignment, or a 2-page small group activity; allowing you to do the project in a short amount of time. 

The groundhog booklet can be done in class during your writing/reading block, or be finished as homework then returned. Be sure and check out the non-fiction groundhog books your school library may have or do a bit of research with your students, during your computer lab time.

The packet is also appropriate for younger students, as I’ve included a “fun fact” worksheet for little ones to color, then write down a favorite fact that they learned from you reading the informational teacher’s edition.  As always, I've included completed samples for you to share with your kiddos to help explain things.

Completed projects make a cute February bulletin board. The booklets can also be displayed.

I’ve included 12 real photographs of groundhogs too. (Two-on-a-page for easy printing). Use them to introduce your lesson, then scatter them around your students’ work.

There’s a “Learning About Groundhogs” poster for the center of your display as well. 

The other "flip for facts" booklet features information specifically about Groundhog DAY, so if you’re looking for a little something to share with your students, I think you’ll enjoy this craftivity.

It can be a simple card for little ones to make. There are 3 “Happy Groundhog Day!” greeting options, which are revealed when you flip the legs of the groundhog cover up.

You can also make a “Flip the Flap For Facts” booklet, with interesting information about Groundhog DAY.

Make your teacher booklet and read it to little ones so they learn a bit about Groundhog Day, then have them transition to making the card.

There are also 2 black and white versions so students can make their own booklet. So that you can differentiate your lessons, I’ve included an emergent reader option, packed with lots of Dolch sight words, as well as a preschool “trace the word & color the pictures” version.

Besides the 3 booklets and card, I’ve also included a “Fun Fact” worksheet.

Use this after you read your booklet to check comprehension. Children color the groundhog then jot down an interesting fact that they learned, or their favorite one.

Completed projects make a cute February bulletin board.  I’ve included a “Groundhog Day Fun!” poster for the center of your display.

There are also 2 graphing extensions to go along with the optional "question" pages.

Because Canada also celebrates Groundhog Day on February 2nd, I included 2 pages with the alternate “colour” spelling, as well as a Venn diagram activity comparing our Phil with their Will, plus a photograph poster featuring both groundhogs. (Willie is an albino groundhog, so grab that teachable moment to teach a new vocabulary word.)

There are several map worksheets of both countries as well.  If you studied Canada during your “Christmas Around the World” travels, this is a fun way to revisit those lessons.

So....you've covered non-fiction reading, a bit of science, some writing a dash of math, plus a smidge of geography all with one craftivity, which you can feature on an easy-peasy bulletin board!
Woo hoo for you!

Today's featured FREEBIE also has a groundhog theme and is titled: Groundhog Slappin' Games.  (I was inspired by the "Whack-a-Mole" arcade game, because the critter that pops up reminded me of a groundhog poking his head out of his burrow.)  The packet is a whopping 60 pages long!

Your students will really enjoy playing these games, as they slap a variety of groundhog cards, with a flyswatter, to show that they know specific standards.  This is a super-fun, quick and easy way to whole-group assess as well.

Students practice recognizing skip counted numbers, shapes, colors, groundhog-related words, (there are 54!) + upper and lowercase letters.

Well that's it for today.  Thanks for stopping by. If you can believe it, it has started to snow here in Michigan.

Although it's quite lovely, and covers up the ugly dirt and dead things, I am quite tired of winter and ready for the warmth of sunshine-filled days.

If a groundhog can truly predict an early spring, here's hoping he does NOT see his shadow.  Wishing you a lovely day.

 "No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn." -Unknown

Brrr-illiant Winter Writing

Even if your students aren’t from a state of ice and snow, they can put on their thinking caps and pretend. Simply “take them there” by reading them stories about frigid and frosty places.

Ice is Nice

Brainstorm what kinds of things you can do on the ice, like skate, go ice fishing, have your sled pulled behind a tractor, play hockey, take a walk, snowmobile across the lake/river etc.  Discuss safety and not venturing out on thin ice, always being out on the ice with a buddy etc.  Have students cover a 5x7 sheet of tag board with aluminum foil.  On a piece of white paper, they draw a picture of themselves doing an activity on the ice, color, cut and then glue it to their "aluminum ice pond".  They write a sentence underneath with a blue permanent marker: "On the ice I like to...."

Marvelous Mittens

After reading a story about playing in the snow, have your students make a class mitten book.  Draw a large mitten on a sheet of paper and run it off on a variety of colored construction paper on a Duplo machine, or make a template out of tag board and have your students trace and cut one out.  Have children decide what's their favorite thing to do in the snow, and then have them complete the sentence: My mittens keep me warm when I... They draw a picture of themselves doing that activity in the middle of the mitten.  Collect the mittens, punch a hole in the bottom left hand corner and tie with a fat piece of yarn for a cute class book, or string a clothesline across a bulletin board that you have stapled snowflake wrapping paper on for a background and use clothespins to hang up each student's mitten. Click on the mitten link below for a template and cover for your book. 

I do another mitten writing class book after reading Jan Brett’s story The Mitten. {amazonWS:itemId=0399252967}For a dramatic play extension of this story I use animal masks that I bought from Oriental Trading. I made a huge white mitten out of a piece of tag board. I use this as the “flap door” for my wiggle-worm tunnel, which I've thrown a white sheet over.

Jan Brett has a wonderful site www.janbrett.com Listed under her activities tab, you can print off the animals for this story.  I laminated these and put a scratchy Velcro dot on the back. I pass these out to my students and we sequence the story on a flannel board. You could also use magnet strip and do this on your white board.

After reading the story,  we scramble up the pictures and see if we can remember their order. When we do, the first set of children don an animal mask and crawl into the mitten. When all the animals are snug inside, we count to 100 by 10's and then they exit out of the back, giving their mask to another child, until everyone has had a turn.

It's a nice way to get the wiggles out and be dramatic at the same time.  If you don't have a tunnel, see if your gym teacher or pre school does or simply drape the sheet over a table with your mitten safety pinned to the front.

As a writing extension, I have my students write on a large white mitten: "I felt _________ inside the mitten." They color, cut and glue the picture of the animal they were to their mitten.  I staple the mittens together and make a class book.  Click on the link for a template and cover for your book.  Mitten templates for both class books.  

Writing is “Snow” Much Fun!

After reading a story about a snowman, (Snowmen At Night by Caralyn Buehner, is a great book) have your students gather around and sing Frosty the Snowman.  Make a pattern of a small, medium, and large circle and have them cut them out and glue them together stacking them in the shape of a snowman. Add a square and a rectangle to make the hat, and a triangular carrot nose and you can review shapes.  Have students add the rest of the facial features.  Now, have them brainstorm what they would like to do with their snowman if he really could come to life!

Inside the middle "tummy" circle have your students write: When my snowman came to life he... In the bottom tummy circle have them draw a picture of their snowman doing that activity with them.  To make this a keepsake, run off a copy of your class composite picture and cut their pix in the shape of an oval.  Have them glue their picture on the head of the figure that they have drawn to represent themselves playing with their snowman. 

Staple navy blue bulletin board paper at the top of your bulletin board (for a night time affect) then cut some white "hills" from fluffy blanket bunting that they sell in bags at Christmas time or at fabric stores and staple it to the bottom of the board. Staple your students Frosty Snowmen "...over the hills of snow!"  You could add some extra zip by splattering the navy paper with white paint, using a tooth brush, for a blizzard affect, and then sprinkling opalescent glitter on the top of the paint while it is wet. 

Or...put your student's snowmen in a class book by having them glue their Frosty to a navy sheet of construction paper. 

Slip Slidin’ Away…

After reading 10 On A Sled, (See January Books of The Month post.) or another story about tobogganing or sliding down the hillside. Pass out strips of multi-colored construction paper. (Toboggans).  Discuss how your students’ felt when they went sledding, or road on a roller coaster or went speeding on their bike.  Talk about descriptive words that they could use to describe those feelings and then have them trace and then complete the sentence: Wheee! Sliding down the hill I felt ... on their toboggan.  There's space to the left if you want to include their class photo.  Add a title page, staple and then read the booklet to the class. Click on the link for a toboggan template.

It’s Great To Skate And Write!

Another winter activity that is fun for students is skating.  Making an ice skate is also fun; so why not turn it into a writing activity?  Click on the link to make a Skate template.  Punch holes in the skate so your students can get some fine motor skills in by lacing a piece of yarn through each hole.   Tape their yarn ends at the back. Have them insert another piece at the top and tie a bow. For the blade of the skate, students wrap a narrow piece of aluminum foil over a jumbo Popsicle stick and glue it to the tabs of the skate.  Students write their name at the top of the skate. Write the following sentences on the board for your students to choose one, copy it on their skate and then complete the sentence:  I like to skate because… or skating makes me feel…… or I wish I could skate because…….

I’m Hooked On Writing!

My 3 and 5 year old grandson’s love to go ice fishing! Even though some of your students may never have had that opportunity, they will have fun making a straw pole and catching a construction paper fish for this writing activity.  Purchase a box of neon-colored drinking straws. They sell them at The Dollar Store.  Run off the copy of the fish on multi-colored construction paper and have your students complete the sentence: “I’m hooked on ______________ because __________.” or “____________ is _____________.” or make up your own prompt.  Punch a hole at the top of the fish and tie a piece of yarn to it that is then attached to the straw fishing pole.  If you want your students to have a little "snip & cut" scissor practice, have them cut the lines on the fins of their fish.

Put a long sheet of aluminum foil on the bottom of your bulletin board. Have students cut out an oval “ice hole”, brush on some white glue and sprinkle with opalescent glitter. They color and cut out their bundled-up figure.  They could also pull apart some cotton balls and glue the "fluffy stuff" around the hood, cuffs, and hem of the child's coat for added dimension.  Teacher runs off their class photo on the copy machine, and cuts their faces into ovals.  Students glue them to their figure.  Put children fishing on the b. board, holding their hooked fish over their ice hole. Title can be: “Fishing for Compliments.” Or “Hooked on Writing.”    Click on the link to print/view Hooked on Writing templates

You Send Me!

Show your students a variety of postage stamps and explain the concept as well as how much it costs to mail a valentine.  Pass out the template and have them design their own stamp.  Ask them if they could write a letter to anyone in the world, who would they write a letter to and why, then have them complete the sentence at the bottom.  Fill in the title page and mount it on construction paper for a cute class book your students will LOVE making and reading. Click on the link to print/view a You Send Me stamp template booklet.

Yay! It’s 100 Day!

We make several class books for 100 Day. I do one each day the week we will be celebrating our 100^th Day, and then one on 100 Day.  We make a book for  If  I had 100 Dollars I would buy… another for  I could eat 100 ---------, but I could not eat 100 ________________  as well as  I would like 100 _____________ in my room, but not 100 _______________ ! Our last activity is:  Our Class' 100 Wishes.  This makes a cute book or b. board.  

My class of Y5's always tops off at 20 so it's easy to divide that into 100.  Everyone gets five wishes.  I cut out yellow construction paper stars on a die-cut machine.  We sit on our Circle of Friends carpet and discuss making a wish on a star. I teach them the rhymes: Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as well as Star Light - Star Bright.  I play Disney's "When You Wish Upon A Star" song from Pinocchio, while they work on their writing.  I jot down what their wishes are on their star.  Later they glue their school photo to their star, and we hang them in the hallway with the equation 5 x 20 = 100 wishes for 100 Day.  

In all of the class books my students draw a picture under the captions.  I have them trace the words and then write them, completing the sentence.  Their ideas are quite hilarious.  I make covers for each of the books, glue them to construction paper, staple them together, and then read them during story time at the end of the day.  Click on the link for 100 Day class books.

I display our class books on a table during Parent-Teacher conferences. In June,  I take each child’s contribution out of each book and make their own “big book”. This makes a great keepsake of all the writing that they did for the year.

Whatever you're doing to warm kids up to writing this month,

I hope you have a simply wonderful time!