Print off this cute (and free!) Groundhog Day Coloring Page, made just for you and your kids! It's the perfect way to learn about and celebrate this fun and quirky holiday!
Hey, hey, Happy Groundhog Day!
Hey, hey, Happy Groundhog Day to all of you that are hoping it will be spring soon! I think this Happy Groundhog Day coloring pages free printable is going to make you chuckle.
Look at the face of this cute groundhog smiling at you as he breaks his long winter nap. He woke up happy!
You have to wait till February 2nd to know whether or not he’s going to see his shadow! He is ready to make his weather prediction with a sign in both hands paws.
So what is this unique tradition on February 2nd?
Well, I guess there were people long ago that were as bored as we are when the winter season drags on. They were waiting for their local groundhog to poke his nose out of his or her burrow to show them that spring was coming.
I don’t know who thought of it, but they thought that would be a good day for a party. For something to do they waited to see if that groundhog saw its shadow or not. It’s silly I know, but it is a fun tradition.
Note: Here's a link to an article from the National Weather Service telling about the origins of this old tradition.
When is spring coming?
So I guess if the groundhog sees it shadow, there is supposed to be six more weeks of winter. If the groundhog does not see its shadow, then winter is supposed to be ending and an early spring will arrive soon.
Technically, Groundhog Day falls halfway in between the winter solstice and the spring equinox. So the actual first day of spring on the calendar is six weeks after Groundhog Day (February 2nd). The spring equinox is when the sun is over the equator as it is moving north. Too much technical info I know, but there you have it.
Groundhog Day coloring pages
Well, this Free groundhog coloring pages will be the perfect way for you to pass this Groundhog Day tradition on to the next generation :-).
A link to this free Groundhog Day printable is found by clicking on the following link: Happy Groundhog Day Coloring Pages Cute Free Printable.
Note: This is for your personal use of course and is in PDF format. It is helpful to print this off on cardstock if using markers so they don't leak through the paper. Otherwise regular copy paper works fine.
Coloring is always a good way to develop fine motor skills for children. Actually it's good for kids of all ages, even we older kids.
Get out the colors...
Get out your colored pencils, crayons, or colored markers and print off a coloring page for each person. It is a fun way to spend time together when kids come over or need to wind down after school. They never argue if there are treats available too.
I especially love my Prismacolor coloring pencils as they draw so smoothly and have such rich color. Of course you are welcome to use whatever medium you would ike.
Fun "fur" drawing technique
What you will see in the video is that I like layering my pencil colors and use short pencil strokes to make the fur. This cute little groundhog is a great way to use that technique.
I start coloring my groundhog with my lightest colored brown first and then started adding little strokes of darker brown pencil lines to look like fur.
In my Prismacolor pencil set I have five or six browns so I kept adding little strokes of the different colors. And you’ll notice when I’m done that it gives kind of a fur look to the happy little groundhog.
Add to the classroom
For you classroom teachers I hope this is something fun to add to your lesson plans.
Coloring sheets are always a perfect addition to a lesson because we need a variety of resource types. It’s good independent work for those early finishers on a special day like Groundhog Day.
Personally, I think this would be fun in grade school, middle school, and even my high school students liked a coloring sheet available now and then :-). Of course, don’t forget to make a copy for yourself. Coloring is so relaxing as well.
I could even see a little creative writing assignment attached to this coloring sheet. It would be fun to see what the kids thought of this celebration! It would even make a fun poem topic.
Groundhog Day in Punxsutawney
Groundhog Day is a very special day in Punxsutawney, Pennsylvania. I guess the first Groundhog Day was celebrated there in 1877. It was brought here from Germany and celebrated there long before that though. They have named their groundhog...wait for it...Punxsutawney Phil!
I guess they pretend that Punxsutawney Phil (which is the name of their groundhog) has been alive all these years. Let’s see, how old would that make him... like 140 years old I think! It’s all part of the fun though.
Did Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow or not?
Punxsutawney Phil is brought out on the stage after his long winter sleep and brought up to Gobbler's Knob. He lets them know if he sees his shadow or not.
They then read the appropriate weather prediction for more winter or an early spring to the eager crowd.
I guess Phil's weather prediction isn't too reliable if you check the statistics. Oh well. The groundhog on the free Groundhog Day printables has both predictions in his hands so he is always right!! That's smart!
How often is Phil right?
You can circle the correct prediction on February 2nd and see if it was correct or not this year when March 19th rolls around as the first day of spring on the calendar.
And then there's the movie...
Groundhog Day has always been a special celebration for the town of Punxsutawney and the neighboring area, but it really grew in size after the 1993 movie "Groundhog Day" came out.
Now it is a huge event and is also celebrated in many places across Canada and the United States. It put Groundhog Day on the calendar for a lot more people.
Groundhog Day celebrations!
Personally, we have friends that have celebrated Groundhog Day for 29 years now and they watch the movie every year. They’ve even traveled to Punxsutawney before!
I’ve attended that celebration for most of those years! It is so much fun to be together and we get extra points if we bring treats that are groundhog themed :-).
I'm going to bring copies of the free Groundhog Day Coloring Page this year for the kids (of any age). I think it will be a great addition.
Perhaps we need to buy a shirt for this special occasion. Here is a cute Happy Groundhog Day t-shirt I found online! What do you think?
Happy Groundhog Day!!
Would you like more coloring pages?
If you would like more free printable holiday coloring pages, I've hand drawn a number of coloring sheets you may enjoy.
Head on over to this page on the website to see what all is available. Here's the link where you will find them:
You will find coloring page free printables for most of the major holidays, each month of the year, and each season of the year.
I’d really love to hear from you what other coloring pages you would like me to develop. It’s one of my favorite things to do, to draw these for you.
Enjoy!
If you try this craft, let me know! Go ahead and leave a comment, rate it, and tag a photo with #WelcometoNanas wherever you post.
Come join the fun at https://welcometonanas.com
Supplies for the Groundhog Day Coloring Page
- A copy of the Happy Groundhog Day Coloring Page Cute Free Printable
- Colored pencils, crayons, or colored markers
Happy Groundhog Day Coloring Pages (Cute Free Printable!)
Equipment
- none needed
Items Required
- A copy of the Happy Groundhog Day Coloring Page Cute Free Printable one for each person
- Colored pencils, crayons, or colored markers
Instructions
- Get out your colored pencils, crayons, or colored markers and print off a coloring page for each person. It is a fun way to spend time together when kids come over or need to wind down after school. They never argue if there are treats available too.
- What you will see in the video is that I like layering my pencil colors and use short pencil strokes to make the fur. This cute little groundhog is a great way to use that technique. I start coloring my groundhog with my lightest colored brown first and then started adding little strokes of darker brown pencil lines to look like fur. In my Prismacolor pencil set I have five or six browns so I kept adding little strokes of the different colors. And you’ll notice when I’m done that it gives kind of a fur look to the happy little groundhog.
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