Groundhog Day Craft Ideas

For over a century, the famous groundhog Punxsutawney Phil has been predicting weather or not spring is around the corner by popping out of his hole on the second day of February and seeing - or not seeing - his shadow. According to legend, if Punxsutawney Phil doesn't see his shadow that means you can look forward to an early spring. If the groundhog sees his shadow that day, you can count on six more weeks of winter weather. Here are a few craft ideas to share with your children this Groundhog Day.

Your child will enjoy making their own miniature Punxsutawney Phil and watching him pop out of his hole with this fun Groundhog Day craft idea.

What you will need:
Styrofoam or paper cup
Popsicle stick
Brown construction paper
Crayons, markers, paint or different colored construction paper
Scissors
Glue

Have your child cut a circle face, two small circles for ears, and an oval body out of the brown construction paper. Let them draw the groundhog's face onto the circle (or cut eyes, nose and mouth from different colors of construction paper and then gluing them onto the groundhog's face). Show your child how to glue the small circles onto the larger circle where the groundhog's ears should be. Help them glue the body and head onto the Popsicle stick, covering the top half of the stick.

Cut a small slit into the bottom of the cup so that the Popsicle stick will fit through it. Instruct your child to decorate the cup (using the crayons, markers, paint or construction paper) to look like the groundhog's home. Let your child insert the stick into the cup's slit for a fun Groundhog Day pop-up puppet.

For this fun Groundhog Day shadow craft you will need a few children for best results.

What you will need:
Flashlight
White construction or drawing paper
Tape
Pencil or crayon

Tape the paper to a flat area of the wall at your child's shoulder to head level and turn off the lights. Have one child stand sideways several inches in front of the paper while you point the flashlight at them. Instruct another child to trace the first child's profile from their shadow. If your children find tracing the whole profile too difficult, try hand shadows (this is a great time to show them your old shadow puppet tricks!).

If you spend the day making fun craft projects like these, you might start wishing you would wake up and find that every day was Groundhog Day!