Instructions
- Step 1: Get a “groundhog” Unless you have access to a real groundhog, get a groundhog stand-in, and give it a name befitting this important holiday.
- Step 2: Create a den Create a den outside. Cover a table with a blanket or tablecloth that reaches the ground and put your groundhog’s cage, carrier, or a cardboard box underneath it so one side peeks out from under the cloth. Then, make a decorative sign with the groundhog’s name and tape it over the entrance.
- Step 3: Write the scripts Write two ceremonial scripts, each on a piece of white construction paper. For both scripts, state the date and various weather predicting titles of your groundhog. Finish one with a short rhyming proclamation about early spring, and the other about six more weeks of winter.
- Step 4: Turn the scripts to scrolls Turn each script into a scroll. Wrap one end of a script around a pencil, and roll it to the center of the page tightly so the paper stays coiled when you remove the pencil. Then, roll the other end of the sheet to the center of the page. Repeat the process with the other script.
- TIP: Consider getting costumes for the ceremony like a top hat, a long black coat, and a fake, old-timey moustache
- Step 5: Begin the ceremony! Stash your critter in its den, gather your audience, and welcome them to the Groundhog Day festivities. Then, knock three times on the groundhog’s home and coax them out.
- Step 6: Listen for the predictions Using your fluency in Groundhog-ese, listen to whether the groundhog sees its shadow, meaning six more weeks of winter, or sees no shadow and spring is on the way. Once you have the little oracle’s prediction, thank it, place it back in its den and read the appropriate scroll to your eager audience. That beats a TV weather report any day!
- FACT: A newborn groundhog is called a kit.
You Will Need
- A groundhog stand-in
- A small table
- A blanket or tablecloth
- A pet cage
- carrier
- or cardboard box
- Construction paper or poster board
- Markers
- Clear tape
- A pencil
- The ability to rhyme
- An audience
- Fluency in Groundhog-ese
- A top hat (optional)
- A long black coat (optional)
- Old-timey moustache (optional)
