In Canada, February 2 is Groundhog Day. The story goes that the groundhog peeks out of his burrow, and if he sees his shadow, we’re due for six more weeks of winter. If not, it will be an early spring.
Yesterday, at one of my daycares, my four-year-old class came running in, clearly excited about something. They all began grabbing me, pulling my face down to theirs. Clearly thinking they wanted a kiss I turned my face to the side for a kiss on the cheek. They kept turning my face back to theirs until I realized what they were getting at, rubbing noses!
I said “Oh, nose rub?” thinking about how in some cultures, nose rubs are a way of greeting each other.
“No!” they replied emphatically, “No! A groundhog kiss.”
The teacher of that particular class is quite imaginative and has passed this imaginative quality onto the kids.
Here is a song for the preparation of Groundhog Day that I found on a preschool education site.
Sung to the tune of London Bridge
Mr. Groundhog down below,
Pops up through the fluffy snow,
See his shadow, watch him go,
Winter’s here to stay, oh no!
Mr. Groundhog down below,
Pops up through the fluffy snow,
There’s no shadow, come and play,
Spring is on its way, hurray!!!
Happy Groundhog Day!