Two Days Before Groundhog Day*
Daily
Question: Will the Groundhog see his shadow? NO! He did not see his shadow which means that he predicts we will have an early Spring!
Toys: Train table, Buckaroo, Puzzles, Puppet
Theater, Magnets...
Snack: Clementines, string cheese, and fruit snacks.
Circle Time:
We had a fun discussion on the Four Seasons.
We read and talked about a story called Winter's Song. What does Winter sound like? (Soft, quiet snow, snowplows, sledding, snow plows, snow ball fights, dripping melted snow, etc.).
Snack: Clementines, string cheese, and fruit snacks.
Circle Time:
We had a fun discussion on the Four Seasons.
We read and talked about a story called Winter's Song. What does Winter sound like? (Soft, quiet snow, snowplows, sledding, snow plows, snow ball fights, dripping melted snow, etc.).
What would Spring, Summer, or Fall sound like?
We talked about where do animals go in the Winter?
We talked about where do animals go in the Winter?
We liked listening to Hibernation Station again during snack time and talking about the many different types of animals that hibernate in the Winter.
We talked about habitat (animals home environment), hibernation
(animals sleeping in dens through the Winter) and migration--when birds
an butterflies go south for the winter.
Science: What makes a shadow?
Science: What makes a shadow?
A shadow is a dark area or shape made by an object something in between
light and a surface (like a body in between the sunlight and sidewalk). We stuck objects in front of a lamp and watched the different shadows made and talked about the earth (sun and moon).
*Groundhog Day is celebrated in the USA on February 2nd. Each year on this day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, people from all over the USA watch Phil the Groundhog as he emerges from his den. (The children enjoyed watching a 2 minute clip of Phil the Groundhog and Gobbler's Knob.)
*Groundhog Day is celebrated in the USA on February 2nd. Each year on this day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania, people from all over the USA watch Phil the Groundhog as he emerges from his den. (The children enjoyed watching a 2 minute clip of Phil the Groundhog and Gobbler's Knob.)
On Groundhog Day, Phil
the Groundhog comes out of his hole after a long winter's hibernation. If he
sees his shadow, he is thought to return to his hole (some people think this is
an omen of six more weeks of bad winter weather). If he doesn't see his shadow
(i.e., if it is cloudy), he is thought to stay above ground (some people think
of this as a sign of mild weather to come).
I See a Little
Goundhog (Tune: I'm a Little Teapot)
I see a little groundhog, furry and brown,
He's popping up to look around.
If he sees his shadow, down he'll go.
Six more weeks of winter--oh, no!
Recess Time: Shadow Hunting outside. We wanted to play Shadow Tag but couldn't find the elusive sunshine until it was almost time to come in!
Shadow Tag
If it's sunny outside and body casts a shadow, play shadow tag. Instead of touching a person, whoever is It must step on someone's shadow.
I see a little groundhog, furry and brown,
He's popping up to look around.
If he sees his shadow, down he'll go.
Six more weeks of winter--oh, no!
Recess Time: Shadow Hunting outside. We wanted to play Shadow Tag but couldn't find the elusive sunshine until it was almost time to come in!
Shadow Tag
If it's sunny outside and body casts a shadow, play shadow tag. Instead of touching a person, whoever is It must step on someone's shadow.
Activities: We had fun making a groundhog picture (out of shapes--rectangle and heart) and drawing Spring or snow outside.
Definitions of today's vocabulary words: Habitat: The natural home or environment of an animal, plant, or other organism. Hibernation: The resting (sleeping) state of some animals in Winter. Den: A wild animals lair or habitation (home). Migration: To change location periodically, especially by moving seasonally from one region to another. Season:One of four divisions of the year (spring, summer, autumn, and winter) demonstrated by particular weather patterns and daylight hours.
Books Read and Discussed Today:
Winter's Song by Claire Daniel, ill. by Leslie Bowman
Round and Round the Season's Go by Rozanne Lanczak Williams, Ill. by Roseanne Litzinger
Hibernation Station by Michelle Meadows and Kurt Cyrus (audio)
Silly Lilly and the Four Seasons by Agnes Rosenstiehhl
Animals in Winter by Henrietta Bancroft & Richard G. Van Gelder, Ill, by Helen K. Davie
Footprints in the Snow by Cynthia Benjamin, Ill. by Jacqueline Rogers (HR, 1)
GorgeousWake Me in the Spring by James
Preller, Ill. by Jeffrey Scherer (HR, 2) cartoon hibernation
The Magic School Bus Sleeps for the Winter (Scholastic Reader, 2)
The Magic School Bus Sleeps for the Winter (Scholastic Reader, 2)