GROUNDHOG GAMES

SHADOW GAME Children take turns hiding in a cardboard box or under a table. Adult controls the lights, so that sometimes the child will see his/her shadow and sometimes he/she will not. Everyone repeats the following rhyme. Ground Hog, Ground Hog - living under ground. Up you come - without a sound. Will you stay -or will you go Back to your house  -down below? When you climb out -if your shadow you see, Back you must go -as quick as can be. If you have no shadow, then you can stay Out in the garden and play all day.                                              Jean Warren

COUNTING GROUNDHOGS Choose four to six children to hide behind a screen or low room divider and pretend to be groundhogs living underground. Each time the adult recites the following rhyme, some but not all of the groundhogs pop up. Groundhogs, Groundhogs come out and play. How many groundhogs came out today? With some children still hiding below the barrier, have the rest of the children count how many groundhogs have popped up to play. Repeat the game with different children. If all of the children hiding behind the barrier all want to pop up each time, you may need to go behind the barrier and point to those who will pop up each time.

  

GROUNDHOG POSITIONS
	You will need a groundhog stuffed animal (or any stuffed animal to represent a groundhog) for this game.
	Place the animal on or near an object in your room.
	Have your children take turns indicating the exact location of the groundhog after you recite the following rhyme. Groundhog, Groundhog came out to play. Where did he stop on his way?
	Example:  Groundhog is under the chair.  Chosen child says, “The groundhog is under the chair”.
	Place the Groundhog in as many different positions so your children will have practice describing various locations and positions, such as; under, over, in, next to, beside, between, etc.