Playing With Shadows - Interactive Groundhog Day Bulletin Board Idea

February 2nd is Groundhog Day and, while it may not be up for too long, this fun interactive shadow matching display would still make for a great holiday activity! We couldn't find pictures of the full board, but hopefully you'll be able to use our drawings and examples for inspiration when creating your own board!

Shadow Matching Activity

Create cutouts for matching - either freehand them or find black and white clip art images online or through your word processing software to print directly onto construction paper. Since Punxsutawney Phil decides whether spring comes early or winter stays, find objects that go with each season. We added a flower, raindrop, umbrella, and leaf for spring, along with a snowman, mittens, scarf, and sled for winter. And, of course, don't forget to include a groundhog cutout!

Create a shadow for each cutout - either trace each object onto black construction paper or use a computer program to fill in the black and white images and print.

Mount the "shadows" onto construction paper and place on the bulletin board - winter objects on the "winter side" and spring objects on the "spring side".

Add velcro dots to both the shadows and the object cutouts, place the cutouts in a large envelope at the base of the board, then invite your students to match the cutouts to their shadows!

Interactive Groundhog Day Display

• Background: Cover the left half of the board with dark blue background paper and the right half with light blue background paper.
• Title: "Playing With Shadows".
• Border: The original display doesn't have a border, but you might consider adding a trimmer in a complimentary color.
• Decoration: 1) The Groundhog Hole. Create a mounded hill with brown bulletin board paper and attach to the center of the board. Add an "opening" using a black marker and attach the groundhog "shadow". 2) The "Winterscape". Use brown background paper to create a barren winter tree. Add this to the left edge of the board. With white bulletin board paper or cotton batting, create snow drifts around the tree and groundhog hill, then using the cotton or some white paint, add a frosting of snow to the tree branches. To complete the "winterscape", add gray and white construction paper snowflake cutouts to the dark blue sky, then attach the winter "shadows". 3) The "Springscape". Create a second tree from brown bulletin board paper, using several shade of green construction paper to fill it in with spring leaves. Using the same green paper, add a fringe of grass around the tree and groundhog hill, then attach the spring "shadows".

Your students are sure to have fun with this Groundhog Day matching game! Do you have any special traditions for Groundhog Day? We'd love to hear about them, so be sure to share your thoughts, traditions, and ideas in the comment section below!