Tape the groundhog to wire, such as a clothes hanger. Observe the groundhog as often as possible during Groundhog Day to see if a shadow appears. After Groundhog Day, keep a daily weather journal during February. You can provide a calendar or have the kids prepare one. They should record the temperature and general weather conditions each day, and different students can be assigned to be the recorder for the day.
Older kids can learn to read an outdoor thermometer.
Further Information For more experiments about shadows, see these Janice VanCleave books 200 Gooey, Slippery, Slimy, Weird, and Fun Experiments , pp. Greedy Groundhogs . For kids ages 4 to 8. Pee Wee Scouts learn about hibernation and spring, but need a real groundhog in order to earn their groundhog badge. Geoffrey Groundhog Predicts the Weather .