On Monday, the students learned the folklore of Groundhog Day. The celebration of Groundhog Day began with Pennsylvania's earliest settlers. They brought with them the legend of Candlemas Day, which states, "For as the sun shines on Candlemas Day, so far will the snow swirl in May..." Punxsutawney held its first Groundhog Day in the 1800s. The first official trek to Gobbler's Knob was made on February 2, 1887. The children now know that if the groundhog sees his shadow, as the legend goes, we will have six more weeks of winter. Before the students left on Monday, we made a prediction chart as to who thought the groundhog would see his shadow and who thought he wouldn't. Well there were ten more children who thought that the shadow would be seen, and they were right! Many students came to school knowing that the groundhog saw his shadow and were very excited to tell their friends. They had a great time making groundhog headbands to celebrate!
