Arrive at group time in a top hat and coat. Bring a stuffed toy groundhog if you can find one. Substitute another stuffed animal, if not. Explain that February 2 is Groundhog Day, made famous by Punxsutawney Phil, the weather-forecasting groundhog. If Phil sees his shadow, expect six more weeks of winter; otherwise, prepare for spring. Ask each child to share her own prediction, and make a chart of the responses. Watch the groundhog emerge from Gobbler's Knob via television, if possible. Visit the official website for photos, maps and trivia.
Explore shadows as part of your Groundhog Day celebration. Invite the children to sit in front of a black piece of paper while you shine a light behind them. Copy their shadows onto the black paper with a white crayon, and cut it out to make a silhouette. Go outside several times during the day to measure your shadows. Make a chart describing the differences in shadow length based on the time of the day.
Read books, such as "The Kids' Book of Weather Forecasting" by Mark Breen and Kathleen Friestad, that discuss the science of weather forecasting. Visit a newsstation weather room if possible or invite a weather person to visit the class. Set up a weather-reporting station and allow the children to pretend to be weather reporters. Provide maps and make weather charts, detailing weather patterns over several days or weeks.
Make a Groundhog "KWL" chart, short for "I Know, I Want to Know, I Learned." Write facts the children already know about groundhogs in the "I Know" column. Discuss and write down things the children want to know about groundhogs. Look through non-fiction books or do a search on the Internet to learn facts about groundhogs, such as where they live and what they eat. Make another chart detailing the differences between wild groundhogs and Punxsutawney Phil.