And winter ends!

Spring has sprung around here. Some say it may be a false spring (silly groundhog, grumpy pessimists), but I think not! See evidence here:

So to wrap up our winter fun, I must talk about one of my very favorite winter theme days...our reindeer craft day/lesson. Reindeer are a fun way to celebrate Christmas/winter without getting too Christmas-y.

I like to start with some reindeer facts.

1. Can reindeer swim? (yes)
2. Do female reindeer have antlers? (yes)
3. Do reindeer shed their antlers every year? (yes)
4. Are reindeer herbivores or carnivores? (herbivores - plant eaters)
5. What do reindeer eat? (grasses, mosses, lichen)
6. What are the hard type of toes reindeer have called? (hooves - reindeer hooves spread apart as they walk to act like snowshoes)
7. Are reindeer solitary animals or do they live in herds? (herds of 1000-10,000) 
8. Where do reindeer live? (Northern parts of N. America - Alaska, Canada - N. China, Russia)
9. Do reindeer live in tundra, marshes, deserts, or rain forests? (tundra - a treeless area near icecaps where the ground is always frozen)

After the reindeer facts, I ask for the names of all of Santa's reindeer: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. And don't forget Rudolph!

You can round out the fun with reindeer jokes, the reindeer hokey pokey, and a reindeer craft.
Reindeer Jokes

What do reindeer hang on their Christmas tree? - "Horn"-a-ments.

Why is Prancer always wet? - Because he's a "rain" deer.

How does Rudolph know when Christmas is coming? - He looks at his calen-"deer".

Reindeer Hokey Pokey

(Make antlers with your hands above head)
You put your antlers in, you put your antlers out

You put your antlers in, and you shake them all about

You do the Reindeer Pokey, and you turn yourself around

THAT'S WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!

(Right hoof, left hoof, fluffy tail, reindeer body)

Reindeer Paper Bag Puppet
The antlers are construction paper hands. Have the kids make one or two sets of hands...either will work just fine. The eyes are made of 2 small pieces of construction paper (one black oval and one white circle) with googly eyes on top. The nose is a black pom-pom although red works really well too! I folded the bag a little to give the face a bit more shape. A simple rectangular piece of green construction paper with some glitter glue on top makes a harness. My reindeer has a tag on his harness. His name is Ralph!

If you need an even simpler craft, make candy cane reindeer! For each child, you will need:

• one candy cane
• 1/2 of a pipe cleaner, brown or black
• two small googly eyes
• one small pom-pom

To assemble the reindeer, twist the 1/2 piece of pipe cleaner around the curve of the candy cane to make the antlers. Glue the eyes below the antlers and the pom-pom below the eyes for the nose. Voila! You've got a cute little reindeer to hang on the tree. 

Groundhog Day

Who's the most famous groundhog of all? Why, it's Punxsutawney Phil! He's been predicting the length of winter since 1887.

The story goes that if Phil comes out of his burrow on February 2nd and sees his shadow he will be frightened and run back into his burrow, predicting 6 more weeks of winter. If he doesn't see his shadow (because the sky is cloudy), spring will come early.

Groundhog's Day is always on February 2nd. February 2nd is the midpoint of winter, halfway between the winter solstice and the spring equinox.

Books

Punxsutawney Phyllis is one of my favorite Groundhog Day books. It's the story of Phyllis who thinks that she can predict an extended winter or early spring, but can she? In addition to writing a wonderful story, Susanna Hill has also provided us with lots of fun resources perfect for storytimes or classrooms. You will find the resources here, including classroom and library resources, coloring sheets, mad libs, and other activities.

Find the book here

Other great Groundhog Day books:

• The Groundhog Day Book of Facts and Fun - Wendie Old
• Go to Sleep, Groundhog! - Judy Cox
• Groundhog Day! - Gail Gibbons
• Gretchen Groundhog, It's Your Day! - Abby Levine

Groundhog Day Storytime/Craft Day

My groundhog craft day started off with groundhog questions such as:

1. Has anyone ever seen a groundhog? (mostly found in Eastern U.S. states)
2. What color are they? (brownish gray)
3. How big are groundhogs? (about the size of a large cat, up to 15 lbs)
4. Where do they live? (underground in burrows)
5. Do groundhogs hibernate? What does hibernate mean? (yes, they sleep all winter long)
6. What kind of food do groundhogs eat? (grasses, fruits and vegetables)
7. What is another name for a groundhog? (woodchuck, whistlepig, marmot)

Then we did a groundhog madlibs found here.

Next we talked about signs of spring. Everyone had a chance to think up a sign of spring such as warmer temperatures, snow melting, birds singing, leaves budding, baby animals being born, flowers blooming, grass growing, etc.

Then we were supposed to read "Punxsutawney Phyllis" by Susanna Hill, but we ran short on time.

So we played a quick "burrowing" game with two hula hoops. To play, line up your kids in two lines (two teams) with each team of kids holding hands. The hula hoop has to be passed from one end of the line to the other without the kids letting go of hands. The kids will "burrow" through the hula hoop as it moves down the line. If you must have a winner for fun, say the first team to get everyone to "burrow" through the hula hoop wins.

Groundhog Craft

After the game, we did a groundhog craft. For this craft I used this groundhog picture found here.

I resized the groundhog on my computer so that I could fit 9 small groundhogs on one sheet of paper and then printed some groundhogs out on white cardstock.

Other needed supplies included:

• cups (one each)
• straws (one each)
• green tissue paper 
• small pieces of white and yellow construction paper (for the suns and clouds)
• crayons or markers
• glue

To assemble the craft, the kids glued tissue paper to the cup, colored and cut out their groundhog, attached the groundhog to a straw and pushed the straw through a small hole in the bottom of the cup. Then they had the choice of adding a sun to one side of the cup and a cloud to the other or they could just pick one depending on whether they thought Phil would predict 6 more weeks of winter (sun) or an early spring (cloud). Pushing the straw up and down allows the groundhog to hide in or pop out of his burrow.

Additional Resources

Fill-in-the-blank groundhog rhyme worksheet:

http://www.teachingheart.net/groundhogearsearhyme.pdf

Groundhog Day word search, crosswords, and other printables:

http://homeschooling.about.com/od/holidays/ss/groundhogprint.htm

Super cool Groundhog Day crafts:

http://www.kiboomu.com/category/featured-activity-boxes/groundhog-day-crafts-printables/

More resources for teachers: http://www.groundhog.org/teachers/elementary/

Want to find out if Phil sees his shadow this year? Check out this link on February 2.

Update: Groundhog Day 2012...Phil saw his shadow. Fooey! That means 6 more weeks of winter.

Happy Chinese New Year

Today marks the start of the Chinese New Year 2012. This is the year of the dragon. In celebration, we will be making Chinese dragons.

The template for the dragon head can be found here. Just print the dragon head on white card stock, and let the kids color and cut it out. Markers or crayons work really well. If you can find a book on the Chinese New Year or dragon dance, the kids will enjoy seeing pictures and deciding what color they want their dragon to be.

After the kids have finished coloring and cutting out their dragon head, tape a large craft stick to the back. Then add glitter. You can also embellish with crepe paper streamers. Various options for the eyes include:

• marker or crayon
• googly eyes
• cut out the eyes to make a mask
• glitter

To round out your Chinese New Year festivities, do the dragon dance, have a dragon parade, eat fortune or almond cookies, drink Chinese tea, listen to Chinese music, read a book, or teach the kids their Chinese zodiac animal signs.

Chinese lantern craft (Kaboose): Card stock works really well for this craft especially if you have colored card stock. If not, use construction paper.

Dragon dance music (found on Amazon): I like this one because it can be used as background music for your parade or you can get out the rhythm sticks and let the kids tap out the rhythm.

Chinese New Year books:
Celebrating Chinese New Year - Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith
Lion Dancer: Ernie Wan's Chinese New Year - Kate Waters
A New Year's Reunion - Yu Li-Qiong

Orange Spice Simmering Potpourri

Baby, it's cold outside! Now's the perfect time to use up the dried orange rinds I've saved. Here's the simplest of simmering potpourris to make your house smell good and put some moisture in the air.

First, save some citrus rinds from tangerines, oranges, or clementines ("cuties"). I like "cuties" because the skin is thin and dries very quickly. You can leave the peels out to dry or put them in a warm oven after you've cooked something else and turned the oven off. They will dry pretty quickly. Just don't forget them in the oven when you turn it on to cook something else. You'll end up with smelly burnt peels! Here are some peels I have dried and then broken into good sized pieces.

Simmering potpourri makes a wonderful homemade holiday gift for friends and family. If you've got an extra canning jar, fill it with dried citrus peels. Add several cinnamon sticks and a handful of whole cloves. Then top with a pretty ribbon and a card with simmering directions. Easy peasy...homemade and inexpensive!

I bought the cinnamon sticks and whole cloves at my local co-op store. If you don't have a store with bulk spices try buying the spices in the Mexican spice aisle of your local supermarket. They usually have the best prices there.

To simmer the potpourri place a few dried orange rinds, one or two cinnamon sticks, and several cloves (5-6) in a small pot of water. Put the heat on low and let it simmer. 

The fruit and spices will plump up, the water will yellow a little, and a wonderful scent will permeate the air. You may need to add water if you simmer for a long time. Keep an eye on the pot. Never leave a simmering pot unattended!

Here in Portland, we compost our food scraps so when I am done with my potpourri, I compost it! Whether you compost or not, this potpourri is a great way to use up your leftover orange rinds.

Getting the kids involved

Let the kids join in the fun! They can eat the cuties, save their peels, and watch them dry (give it a couple of days at least). Once the peels are completely dry, they can easily help make gifts of potpourri for family, friends, and teachers. If you don't have glass jars to hold the potpourri, try using Chinese take-out boxes. The boxes are inexpensive, unbreakable, have handles, and the kids can decorate them with markers, stickers, or paint.