Every year on February 2^nd we celebrate Groundhog Day. On this day, we check with a groundhog to see if we will have six more weeks of winter or if spring will come early. Sounds silly right? While there is no supporting science behind Groundhog Day it is still fun to play along and make your own hypothesis, or guess, about the weather.

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Materials:

- Paper

- Pencil

- Tape

- Paper Cup

- Flashlight

- Scissors

- Coloring Supplies

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Procedure:

1. Draw or print out a groundhog like the one here, then, cut it out and color it!

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2. Tape or glue your colored groundhog to the pencil.

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3. Cut a hole in the bottom of your paper cup for the pencil to fit through. Slide your groundhog into the paper cup. You may have to roll your groundhog a little bit if the cup is smaller than your groundhog.

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4. Now, you can pop your groundhog out of its burrow!

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‍5. When your groundhog is out, use your flashlight and shine it around your groundhog. Does it see its shadow or not? What is your hypothesis about our weather – will we have six more weeks of winter or will spring come early?

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What's happening? 2020 marked the 20th time the groundhog had not seen their shadow, calling for an early spring, but since 1887 the groundhog has seen their shadow 106 times. While the groundhog’s predictions are not always right, they make a hypothesis based or their surroundings just like a scientist!