Can a groundhog grow taller without moving its feet off the table? Cut out a paper groundhog, stand it between a flashlight and a wall, and watch what happens when you slide it. This February 2 activity takes about fifteen minutes.
Holiday dates for planning
| Observance | 2026 | 2027 | 2028 | 2029 | 2030 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Groundhog Day | Monday, February 2, 2026 | Tuesday, February 2, 2027 | Wednesday, February 2, 2028 | Friday, February 2, 2029 | Saturday, February 2, 2030 |
Set up a shadow lab
Draw a groundhog in profile on stiff paper. Give it a round ear and a nose that sticks out so you can recognize its outline. Tape it to a pencil and stand the pencil upright in modeling clay. Tape white paper to a wall for a screen. Rest a flashlight on a book so its beam points straight at the paper. Dim the room enough to see the shadow and keep the light aimed at the wall.
Change just one distance
Set the light about 60 centimeters from the screen. Mark three spots on the table measured from the light. Keep the flashlight, screen and puppet orientation steady.
| Groundhog position | What to record |
|---|---|
| 15 cm from the light | Predict the shadow height. Trace or mark its top and bottom, then measure. |
| 30 cm from the light | Predict whether it will grow or shrink. Record the height again. |
| 45 cm from the light | Measure once more. Circle the largest of your three measurements. |
With a small light source, the puppet blocks a widening region of light. Close to the flashlight, it makes a larger outline on the wall. Near the screen, the outline approaches the puppet’s actual size. If an edge looks fuzzy, measure through the middle of the fuzzy band each time. One partner can move the puppet while another calls out or records the results.
Put the groundhog story to the test
According to the tradition, seeing a shadow means six more weeks of winter. Ask the class what they could change in their experiment to make the shadow disappear right now. Switching off the flashlight changes the shadow while the weather outside stays the same. Compare that observation with NOAA’s account of the Groundhog Day prediction.
A printable for this activity
Groundhog Day Trivia and Facts includes a free printable and presentation slides with fifteen questions for a follow-up round.
Optional supplies
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Colorations construction paper makes opaque cutouts that children can swap to compare a groundhog with other silhouettes.