Woodchucks
Woodchucks chuck wood and Groundhogs determine the coming of spring. They eat your garden, dig holes under the porch but look adorable when they are first born and start to venture out of their dens.
Watching the woodchuck babies venturing out from under the porch inspired us to study these cute little rodents. So don't just hibernate, pop your head up and find out about woodchucks.
You will find dozens of ideas for learning centers, Word Walls, games, activities and literacy bags. Sharpen your claws and dig into learning...
Watching the woodchuck babies venturing out from under the porch inspired us to study these cute little rodents. So don't just hibernate, pop your head up and find out about woodchucks.
You will find dozens of ideas for learning centers, Word Walls, games, activities and literacy bags. Sharpen your claws and dig into learning...
Woodchuck Table of Contents
- Woodchucks Live Under Our Porch
- Watch the Baby Woodchucks
- The Adventures of Johnny Chuck by Thornton Burgess
- Groundhogs Learn to Read
- Woodchuck Writing Process
- Woodchuck Math
- Math Facts the Woodchuck Way
- What do Woodchucks dream about?
- How much does a woodchuck weigh?
- Online Habitat Games
- Woodchuck Geography
- PE Class for Little Woodchucks
- Woodchuck Arts and Crafts
- Woodchucks for Literacy Bags
- Woodchucks in the News!
- Friends of the Woodchucks
- Woodchucks are in the Four Wheeler's Online Unit Study Directory
- Woodchuck Sightings!
- Woodchucks under the Old Barn
- Meet the Author of this Woodchuck Lens
- Woodchuck Webrings
Woodchucks Live Under Our Porch
We have a family of Woodchucks living under our porch. There is a big fat papa Woodchuck, a middle sized Mama Woodchuck and four wee little baby Woodchucks.
I believe there are Uncles, Aunts and cousins living under the barn, chicken coop and woodshed.
The babies are adorable and are not shy at all. I have gone right up to them and looked them right in the eye, observing their shiny noses and round furry bodies.
Woodchucks are also known as groundhogs and have quite the reputation for weather divination in February. It's a fun holiday to celebrate!
Watch the Baby Woodchucks
Baby Groundhogs
There were 4 baby groundhogs/woodchucks (same thing) in my yard for about a month. Cute critters...
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A Woodchuck by any other name would smell as sweet.
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Groundhog! Woodchuck! -- What's the difference?
Woodchuck and groundhog are common terms for the same animal, the rodent with the scientific name of Marmota monax.
Other rodents include mice, otters and lemmings.
Woodchuck is an anglicized version of the Native American word.
Groundhog is a word coined by the early New England settlers describing its appearance.
Woodchucks' closest relatives are squirrels. Woodchucks actually can climb trees and also swim.
Woodchucks learn Tongue Twisters
Children love to learn the tongue twister:
"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? He'd chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood."
But what is a woodchuck and what can we learn from it?
Write ""How much wood..." on a poster board and laminate it. Read and recite it often with your students until they know it by heart.
-1. Use highlighter tape (see Beginning to Read) to highlight words or letters that are repeated.
-2. Try changing words such as logs instead of wood. How does it change the rhythm of the tongue twister?
-3. Try changing animals. What about groundhog instead of woodchuck?
"How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood? He'd chuck as much wood as a woodchuck could chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood."But what is a woodchuck and what can we learn from it?
Write ""How much wood..." on a poster board and laminate it. Read and recite it often with your students until they know it by heart.
-1. Use highlighter tape (see Beginning to Read) to highlight words or letters that are repeated.
-2. Try changing words such as logs instead of wood. How does it change the rhythm of the tongue twister?
-3. Try changing animals. What about groundhog instead of woodchuck?
The Adventures of Johnny Chuck by Thornton Burgess
Do you want to get to know woodchucks through fictional stories?I like to read a chapter book to the children after lunch recess . These books have very short chapters of one to two pages and I haven't found a child yet that doesn't love them. Allowing each of the children to pick a stuffed animal to snuggle with as they sit or lie on the rug helps them to stay quiet and focus on the story.
Thornton Burgess was a naturalist who wrote stories about all the Animals of the North American Woodlands.
Despite the fact that the animals are named and wear clothing, the animals are basically true to their animal ways. In the Adventures of Reddy Fox, for example, Reddy hunts and eats chickens from Farmer Brown's Chicken House.Reddy has to watch out for Bowser the Hound.Chickens may be killed and eaten because no chickens are characters nor do any have names.
In The Adventures of Johnny Chuck, spring has arrived and Johnny Chuck goes wandering, gets in a fight, and sets up housekeeping with Polly Chuck. Will there be baby woodchucks soon?
Second Graders and up should be able to read these books easily on their own and they are so inexpensive that I suggest that you get several copies for the children to read together.
The Adventures of Johnny Chuck (Dover Children's Thrift Classics)
Spring has arrived and Johnny Chuck goes wandering, gets in a fight, and sets up housekeeping with Polly Chuck.
Amazon Price: $2.00 (as of 07/06/2009) 
Johnny Chuck Stuffed Animal
This stuffed Woodchuck would be a great addition to your Reading Nook.
Over the years I have collected quite a few stuffed woodchucks.We keep them in a tall round laundry basket that we call the Woodchuck Hole.
The children use them in many different activities described below.
Groundhogs Learn to Read
In this file folder game the groundhog moves through its burrow from its bed to the outdoors.
-Kindergarten:
Make cards with the words cloud or sun. Make several more clouds than suns.
-Beginning Readers:
The groundhog sees its shadow. Go ahead one space.
The groundhog does not see its shadow. Go back one space.
- Move one space ahead for a cloud card and one space backwards for a sun card.
I haven't found small plastic woodchucks yet but we use these Fur Mice cat toys and pretend that they are woodchucks.
You also might like to try making Needle Felted Woodchucks.
Which family does the woodchuck belong to?
beginning letter sounds
1. Make woodchuck burrows from tall paper cups, brown construction paper for the ground at the bottom and green construction paper grass at the top.
2. Make brown construction paper woodchucks with pictures on their bellies.
3. Write lettes on the burrows to correspond with the pictures on the woodchucks.
4. Write the letter that the picture begins with on the back of the woodchuck and and on the bottom of the cup.
5. Laminate the woodchucks.
The children say the name of the picture on the woodchuck and listen for the beginning sound and then put the woodchuck in it's hole.
Which Woodchuck Will Go?
A Beginning Reading Game
Find out which woodchuck will be the one to go all the way to the end of the tunnel and check for its shadow.
(2 players)
-Use the tiles on the floor, two stuffed woodchucks and a deck of "Who Will Go?" cards.
-To make the cards write the following sentences on 2 or 3 cards each.
I will go.
You will go.
We will go.
I will not go.
-Shuffle and divide the deck of cards evenly.
-Children take turns drawing a card, facing the other person and reading the card.
-Then the child moves his or her woodchuck according to the sentence.
The first woodchuck to get all the way across the floor is the one to see its shadow.
Folkmanis Groundhog Puppet
Amazon Price: $20.55 (as of 07/06/2009)
Groundhog Poems and Rhymes
Fun on Groundhog Day by Barbara Walker
There are shadows you make in the sunshine,
There are shadows you make by the lamp,
There are shadows that lurk in the forest
While you tell creepy stories at camp.
There are shadows that help you with puppets,
And shadows you make just for play,
But the shadow that's famous is Groundhog's,
When he tells whether winter's to stay.
Let's go out very early this morning
And watch for his shadow, my son;
It may not be at all scientific,
But you've got to admit that it's fun!
My Shadow by Robert Louis Stevenson
I have a little shadow that goes in and out with me.
And what can be the use of
him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me while I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow-
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometime shoots up taller like an India rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.
He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way,
He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to Nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepyhead,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
Here's a Little Groundhog (To the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot")
Here's a little groundhog
Furry and brown
He's coming up
To look around
If he sees his shadow
Down he goes
Then six more weeks
Of winter snows.
Groovin' Groundhog
Who's that sleeping
Under the ground?
Waiting for spring
Not making a sound?
On February second,
Looking for fun.
Hoping the clouds
Will hide the sun.
Seeing no shadow
He comes out to play.
Because he knows
Its Groundhog Day!
Woodchucks All Around by Evelyn Saenz
Woodchucks in the garden,
Eating all our food.
Woodchucks in the flower beds.
Do you think that's good?
Woodchucks by the back porch.
Woodchucks in the ground.
Woodchucks by the barn door.
Woodchucks all around.
There are shadows you make in the sunshine,There are shadows you make by the lamp,
There are shadows that lurk in the forest
While you tell creepy stories at camp.
There are shadows that help you with puppets,
And shadows you make just for play,
But the shadow that's famous is Groundhog's,
When he tells whether winter's to stay.
Let's go out very early this morning
And watch for his shadow, my son;
It may not be at all scientific,
But you've got to admit that it's fun!
My Shadow by Robert Louis StevensonI have a little shadow that goes in and out with me.
And what can be the use of
him is more than I can see.
He is very, very like me from the heels up to the head;
And I see him jump before me while I jump into my bed.
The funniest thing about him is the way he likes to grow-
Not at all like proper children, which is always very slow;
For he sometime shoots up taller like an India rubber ball,
And he sometimes gets so little that there's none of him at all.
He hasn't got a notion of how children ought to play,
And can only make a fool of me in every sort of way,
He stays so close beside me, he's a coward you can see;
I'd think shame to stick to Nursie as that shadow sticks to me!
One morning, very early, before the sun was up,
I rose and found the shining dew on every buttercup;
But my lazy little shadow, like an arrant sleepyhead,
Had stayed at home behind me and was fast asleep in bed.
Here's a Little Groundhog (To the tune of "I'm a Little Teapot")Here's a little groundhog
Furry and brown
He's coming up
To look around
If he sees his shadow
Down he goes
Then six more weeks
Of winter snows.
Groovin' Groundhog
Who's that sleeping
Under the ground?
Waiting for spring
Not making a sound?
On February second,
Looking for fun.
Hoping the clouds
Will hide the sun.
Seeing no shadow
He comes out to play.
Because he knows
Its Groundhog Day!
Woodchucks All Around by Evelyn Saenz
Woodchucks in the garden,
Eating all our food.
Woodchucks in the flower beds.
Do you think that's good?
Woodchucks by the back porch.
Woodchucks in the ground.
Woodchucks by the barn door.
Woodchucks all around.
Learning Language the Groundhog Way!
Groundhog is a Compound Word
PUT IT TOGETHER: COMPOUND WORDS
Groundhog is a word coined by the early New England settlers describing its appearance.
Use the word groundhog to introduce compound words.
1. Brainstorm with children a list of compound words and have each student choose one.
2. Fold a sheet of construction paper using a French door fold. (See illustration)
3. On top of the left door, print See the ____. The children fill in the blank with the first part of the compound word. (For example, See the ground.)
On this panel they will draw a picture to illustrate the first part of the compound word (ground).
4. On the top of the right door, print See the _____. The children will fill in the blank with the last part of the compound word they have chosen. (For example, See the hog.) On this panel they will draw a picture of a hog.
5. Now open the doors. On the inside section, print See the ____. The children will fill in the blank with the compound word they selected. (For our example, See the groundhog.)
6. Draw a picture on the inside to illustrate the compound word.
Woodchuck Writing Process
Write and Publish Your Own Stories
Old burrows may become the new home for other animals.
What other animals could take over a woodchuck's burrow?
Write stories about the other animals that take over a woodchuck's burrow and make it into a class book.
When you are ready to publish it check out IlluStory below.
IlluStory Make Your Own Story Kit
Amazon Price: $19.95 (as of 07/06/2009)
Woodchuck Math
Measuring in Woodchuck Units
Measuring in Woodchuck Units
Woodchucks are about 20 inches long.
They dig out extensive underground burrows with tunnel systems as deep as five feet and can extend up to 70 feet in length.
To help the children understand what these numbers mean use the overhead projector to blow up an outline of a woodchuck onto brown poster board so that it measures 20 inches in length. Laminating them will make them last for years.
Distance can be measured by placing the Woodchuck Units end to end. The woodchuck's tunnel could be as long as 42 Woodchuck Units (70 feet).
How many Woodchuck Units is it from the classroom door to the nearest tree? To the nearest garden?
Variation: If you make woodchuck cutouts that are about an inch long and attach them to a ruler you could use them to make a map to scale of the playground.
Use the life-sized Woodchuck Units to measure distances.
Then use the one inch woodchucks, attached end to end on a ruler to draw the distances on poster board.
Woodchucks are about 20 inches long.
They dig out extensive underground burrows with tunnel systems as deep as five feet and can extend up to 70 feet in length.
To help the children understand what these numbers mean use the overhead projector to blow up an outline of a woodchuck onto brown poster board so that it measures 20 inches in length. Laminating them will make them last for years.
Distance can be measured by placing the Woodchuck Units end to end. The woodchuck's tunnel could be as long as 42 Woodchuck Units (70 feet).
How many Woodchuck Units is it from the classroom door to the nearest tree? To the nearest garden?
Variation: If you make woodchuck cutouts that are about an inch long and attach them to a ruler you could use them to make a map to scale of the playground.
Use the life-sized Woodchuck Units to measure distances.
Then use the one inch woodchucks, attached end to end on a ruler to draw the distances on poster board.
Math Facts the Woodchuck Way
Number facts 0-4
After watching the video of these cute baby woodchucks coming out one at a time, you can have the children write the number facts to go with the pictures.
0+1=1, 1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+1=4, 4-4=0
0+1=1, 1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+1=4, 4-4=0
Groundhog's puppy
These animal lived in our yard. They're so cute.
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Woodchuck Tunnels, Burrows and Holes
How deep can a woodchuck dig when a woodchuck digs its hole?
These furry, grizzled, brown to gray mammals have long curved claws that are ideal for digging and climbing.
The Woodchuck's Tunnels can be up to 5 feet deep or about 3 Woodchuck Units deep.
To visualize how deep a woodchuck's tunnel really is try to find places that are actually 3 Woodchuck Units deep.
For Example:
1. Window ledge to the ground
2. Top to the bottom of the slide
3. Reading Loft to the floor
Woodchucks are Great at Digging
Garden tools imitate long curved woodchuck claws. Try digging in the playground or garden.
Miniature Fields
Children will discover about the structure of the dirt, how grass roots help to hold the soil together, and conservation of matter. (The dirt they dig out of the hole must go somewhere.)
1. Fill a Rice Table half full of dirt.
2. Add grass seed or birdseed and sprinkle with water.
3. Cover and allow the grass to grow and get thick.
4. Give the children miniature garden tools to try to dig tunnels like woodchucks.
You may need to limit the area or have several tubs of grass growing to provide enough untouched ground for all of the children.
For lots more outdoor games and activities see It's Raining! It's Pouring! and Recess.
Woodchucks in Transition
Transition Time
To transition from one activity to another use a signal to indicate danger to woodchucks.
All the children pick up a woodchuck and toss it in a laundry basket that represents the woodchuck's tunnel and den and then line up for the next activity.
See more tunnel activities at Whitefoot the Wood Mouse Unit Study.
Groundhog Day!
Groundhog Day! is about the traditions that led to the big celebration now held each year on February 2nd in Punxsutawney, PA.
Gail Gibbons includes information about the groundhog's diet, habitat, burrows, and newborns kits and looks.
She also explains how past cultures depended on hibernating animals to help them determine the arrival of spring.
"If a groundhog sees his shadow there will be six more weeks of winter," is explained in terms that are perfect for a child's level of understanding.
After reading this book to the children I like to make it available to take home in Take Home Literacy Bags.
Groundhog Day!
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 07/06/2009)
Woodchuck Tunnel Maze
See Lemmings: Arctic Classroom Study, Riverotters, or Bluebirds: Classroom Meadow Study for more ideas. You will find lots of ideas about tunnels and rodents on my White Foot the Wood Mouse lens.
The Woodchuck is a True Sleeping Beauty
Woodchuck Hibernation
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."
What's happening down in the burrow?
In the winter, not much.
Groundhogs go into a deep sleep called hibernation. Their bodies slow down and their body temperature drops to just a few degrees above freezing.
Because their sleeping den, called the hibernaculum, is below frost line in the deepest portion of the burrow their body temperature goes down to as low as 39-40 degrees F. This is about the same temperature as the inside of a refrigerator.
Woodchucks are one of the few mammals that enter into true hibernation.Woodchucks begin their hibernation in mid-November, and wake up in late February.
During the beginning months of school when the woodchucks are actively preparing for winter we read B>, Every Autumn Comes the Bear and Blueberries for Sal. We read the couple of chapters of The Hobbit to get a feel for how the woodchuck may feel in his burrow.
In October we read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and in mid-November we read the story of Sleeping Beauty
What's happening down in the burrow?
In the winter, not much.
Groundhogs go into a deep sleep called hibernation. Their bodies slow down and their body temperature drops to just a few degrees above freezing.
Because their sleeping den, called the hibernaculum, is below frost line in the deepest portion of the burrow their body temperature goes down to as low as 39-40 degrees F. This is about the same temperature as the inside of a refrigerator.
Woodchucks are one of the few mammals that enter into true hibernation.Woodchucks begin their hibernation in mid-November, and wake up in late February.
During the beginning months of school when the woodchucks are actively preparing for winter we read B>, Every Autumn Comes the Bear and Blueberries for Sal. We read the couple of chapters of The Hobbit to get a feel for how the woodchuck may feel in his burrow.
In October we read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow and in mid-November we read the story of Sleeping Beauty
What do Woodchucks dream about?
Writing about Woodchuck Dreams
You might post an illustration such as this one by Anna Myers to start brainstorming ideas for writing stories about woodchucks.
Ms. Myers wrote and tells us that:
The woodchuck was a lot of fun to draw, it went to illustrate a story about a woodchuck who lived in the author's backyard. This particular woodchuck is dreaming about Bok-Choy.
- Anna Myers - Woodchuck Illustration
- Woodchuck Illustration by Anna Myers
Punxsutawney Phil
by Julia Moultran
After helping his family prepare their burrow for the winter and joining them in a long nap beneath the cold Pennsylvania snow, Punxsutawney Phil emerges on Groundhog Day to predict the weather.
Punxsutawney Phil is a good book to read before studying for a test. Just as the woodchucks are preparing for winter, your children can prepare for the test.
Punxsutawney Phil is a good book to read before studying for a test. Just as the woodchucks are preparing for winter, your children can prepare for the test.
Story of Punxsutawney Phil, "the Fearless Forecaster" (Adventures of Punxsutawney Phil)
After helping his family prepare their burrow for the winter and joining them in a long nap beneath the cold Pennsylvania snow, Punxsutawney Phil emerges on Groundhog Day to predict the weather.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/06/2009)
What's the wake-up call?
Theories abound from the amount of daylight to hormones but in any case the woodchuck wakes up and we humans like to celebrate.
Wake Up the Woodchuck
In February, reread the books that you read in November. Make a list of all the things that the Woodchuck missed in your class while he/she was sleeping. Notice how much more the children can read than back in the fall.
Write weekly sentences on the woodchuck calendar about what the Woodchuck is doing now that he or she is awake. ie: "The woodchuck wakes up." "The woodchuck nibbles on the tulips." Etc.
Wake Up the Woodchuck
In February, reread the books that you read in November. Make a list of all the things that the Woodchuck missed in your class while he/she was sleeping. Notice how much more the children can read than back in the fall.
Write weekly sentences on the woodchuck calendar about what the Woodchuck is doing now that he or she is awake. ie: "The woodchuck wakes up." "The woodchuck nibbles on the tulips." Etc.
Weighing Beans
How much does a woodchuck weigh?
Woodchucks are about the size of a large cat or a small dog and weigh 5 - 10 pounds.
To understand this weight:
Make 1 or 2 sacks out of brown faux fur cloth big enough to easily hold 20 pounds of beans.
Fill the rice table with about 20 to 30 pounds of beans.
On a small table or desk next to the rice table put a produce scale.
Use scoops or measuring cups to fill the bags until they weigh 5-10 pounds.
Try to find other objects around the classroom that weigh the same amount as a woodchuck.
Woodchuck Habitat
Woodchucks prefer to live in open farmland and surrounding wooded areas.
Reading books by Thornton Burgess such as The Adventures of Johnny Chuck or Old Mother Westwind will help children get a feel for the Woodchuck's habitat and neighbors.
Every day after lunch recess we have story hour where the children pick out a stuffed animal to snuggle with, curl up on the rug and listen to a chapter book.
See more lenses with activities related to the little creatures of the Green Meadows and Woodlands at Whitefoot the Woodmouse, River Otters, Bluebirds: Classroom Meadow Unit and Frogs Hopping to Learn.
Online Habitat Games
- Drag and Drop Habitat Games
- Put the animals back into their habitats.
What does a woodchuck eat?
Make a bulletin board with a meadow scene. Check out Bluebirds: Classroom Meadow Theme for ideas.
You might add a title such as Woodchucks are Vegetarians or I'm a Salad Lover
Make a groundhog peaking out of its hole looking for something to eat.
As you read about woodchucks you can add vegetation to the bulletin board so that your woodchuck has plenty to eat.
In the Art Center children can draw and cut out pictures of woodchuck food and then attach them to the bulletin board.
You might provide seed catalogues for ideas.
By adding labels to the Woodchuck Habitat scene you turn it into a Word Wall. See Beginning to Read for more Word Wall ideas.
Woodchucks gnaw on Ornamental shrubs and fruit trees. They eat garden vegetables and other vegetation and are considered a pest by most farmers and gardeners.
What's for dinner?
Groundhogs gorge themselves on green plants, such as dandelion greens, clover, and grasses.
They also find nearby garden vegetables absolutely delicious.
Woodchucks binge and purposefully put on weight in the summer, reaching their maximum mass in late August.
They become lethargic or tired and prepare for hibernation in October.
By February, hibernating woodchucks have lost as much as half their body weight.
Gopher It!
In Gopher It! a scattered pile of Food Cards are put into a pile in the center of the table to form the Garden.
On their turn, players pick any card out of the Garden and pick as long as they wish, up to 4 cards, unless they pick the same type of Food Card twice in a row.
This game encourages basic addition skills, introduces simple strategy, social interaction play, and endless combinations of replay ability.
I used a fine-tipped permanent marker to write the words for the vegetables on the cards.
Gopher It!
Amazon Price: $9.99 (as of 07/06/2009)
Woodchuck Teeth
Woodchuck Teeth
Woodchucks, being rodents, have front teeth that continuously grow throughout their lives.
As the teeth grow, they are naturally worn down when the animal gnaws on wood and other objects.
If you have a rabbit, hamster or mice in the classroom you may observe them chewing on wood.
Maybe you could go on a fieldtrip to a beaver pond to see where beavers have gnawed on trees to cut them down.
Carpentry Center:
To understand how Woodchuck teeth get worn down:
1. Put out some Woodchuck Teeth (Small pieces of balsa wood)
2. Trees or Logs (Sandpaper tubes that slip over wooden dowels for bird perches.)
3. Children use the teeth to gnaw at the logs.
4. Children could also file their own fingernails.
To learn more about rodent teeth you might like to read about Snaggletooth Stormy , a woodchuck from the Brookfield Zoo that has had to have braces.
Science Table:
Have several skulls with teeth for the students to examine.
The children can observe the differences between rodent teeth and the teeth of other mammals.
Various types of teeth can also be seen and compared by looking at animal x-rays. (See below)
Woodchucks, being rodents, have front teeth that continuously grow throughout their lives.As the teeth grow, they are naturally worn down when the animal gnaws on wood and other objects.
If you have a rabbit, hamster or mice in the classroom you may observe them chewing on wood.
Maybe you could go on a fieldtrip to a beaver pond to see where beavers have gnawed on trees to cut them down.
Carpentry Center:
To understand how Woodchuck teeth get worn down:
1. Put out some Woodchuck Teeth (Small pieces of balsa wood)
2. Trees or Logs (Sandpaper tubes that slip over wooden dowels for bird perches.)
3. Children use the teeth to gnaw at the logs.
4. Children could also file their own fingernails.
To learn more about rodent teeth you might like to read about Snaggletooth Stormy , a woodchuck from the Brookfield Zoo that has had to have braces.
Science Table:
Have several skulls with teeth for the students to examine.
The children can observe the differences between rodent teeth and the teeth of other mammals.
Various types of teeth can also be seen and compared by looking at animal x-rays. (See below)
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Rodent Teeth Theater
Set up a Computer on your Science Table near the animal skulls and let the children watch a video of a rat going to an orthodontist.
Mina's Trip to the Dentist
Rat teeth grow constantly, and normally wear eachother down. Mina's teeth are too crooked, requiring monthly trips to the dentist lest she be unable to close her mouth or chew.
Runtime: 3:29
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Diurnal, Nocturnal or Crepuscular
Graphing Activity
According to the Oxford Dictionary the opposite nocturnal is diurnal.
Diurnal means `happening by day, coming out during the day, occurring every day'.
Animals which come out at twilight are called crepuscular.
Unlike many other rodents, woodchucks are active during the day.
As you read about various animals throughout the year you can graph which ones are active at different times of the day.
1. Make a three columned graph.
2. Label it When are these Animals Awake and Active?
3. Label the three columns Diurnal, Crepuscular and Nocturnal
4. Add a sun beside the word Diurnal and a Moon beside the word Nocturnal to help them remember what each word means.
(If you have a suggestion for a picture to represent twilight please leave it in the comments below.)
5. Each time you read about a new animal, add its picture to a appropriate column.
Four-Ply 2-Sided Poster Boards, 22"x28", Assorted Bright Colors, 25/Carton RIV04223
Amazon Price: $13.40 (as of 07/06/2009)
Woodchuck Geography
Where in the world would you find a Woodchuck?
Woodchucks are found throughout virtually the entire eastern United States and much of Canada.
In the puzzle center put puzzle maps of the United States, Canada and North America.
A stack of maps of North America with each of the states and provinces are provided.
After coloring the Woodchuck range, which is outlined for them, the children put a Fingerprint Woodchuck on each state or province where Woodchucks live.
NOTE: We learned how to make Fingerprint Woodchucks after reading Ed Emberley's Thumbprint book. We used them to mark the states and provinces where woodchucks can be found.
PE Class for Little Woodchucks
Dig Some Holes and Run Around
Woodchuck Holes
The primary Woodchuck burrow entrance is usually marked by a large mound of earth, although secondary entrances - dug from underground - may be virtually unnoticeable.
These woodchuck entrances pose a real tripping injury threat to horses, riders and walkers alike.
1. Make a primary Woodchuck burrow entrance in the sandbox by digging a big hole with a huge pile of sand around it.
2. Lay a series of old tires down on the playground and try to run through them to see how difficult it can be for horses, riders and walkers.
The primary Woodchuck burrow entrance is usually marked by a large mound of earth, although secondary entrances - dug from underground - may be virtually unnoticeable.
These woodchuck entrances pose a real tripping injury threat to horses, riders and walkers alike.
1. Make a primary Woodchuck burrow entrance in the sandbox by digging a big hole with a huge pile of sand around it.
2. Lay a series of old tires down on the playground and try to run through them to see how difficult it can be for horses, riders and walkers.
Paper Plate Groundhog
Another idea for Groundhog's Day is using paper plates.
You will need one and a half paper plates.
Color the top of the paper plate to represent the sky.
Cut another paper plate in half.
Color the bottom brown for the dirt.
Add green for grass above the brown.
Staple this half paper plate to the bottom of the full paper plate.
The same groundhog puppet above could be used to put on a craft stick.
When you staple the half plate to the bottom, leave a slot between the staples to stick the puppet through.
The children can show how the groundhog comes up out of the ground to check for his shadow.
Another year I made this into a Literacy bag. The children loved reading about the groundhog and had a great time making it at home with their parents and then telling about it at school.
Woodchuck Arts and Crafts
Make a Groundhog coming out of it's Hole
How to make a Groundhog coming out of it's Hole:
This is a picture of the stick puppet that was made for Groundhog Day.
Children use a pattern to cut out and glue it to a craft stick.
They turn a paper cup upside down to make his home.
They can add grass or snow around the outside of the cup and glue or tape it on.
A slit is made in the bottom of the cup and the craft stick is inserted.
The groundhog can come out of his hole and then go back inside to hide!
This activity works well in a Literacy Bag or as an Art Center Project by making a poster with step by step directions.
Needle Felted Woodchuck
Needle felted woodchucks can be used as math manipulatives or in any number of creative and dramatic ways to extend the Woodchuck Theme.
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Natural Math Manipulatives
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A hands-on approach to learning new concepts involving all 5 senses makes understanding easier and quicker for learners of all styles. Here you will find manipulatives that intrigue, excite and encourage exploration. From wooden blocks to needle fel...
Woodchuck Coloring Pages
- Woodchuck Coloring Page
- Color the woodchuck.
- Woodchuck Bookmarks
- Use these Woodchuck Bookmarks for graphing, recording books read or color and laminate for math activities.
Woodchuck Worksheets
Enchanted Learning has lots of worksheets that can be turned into learning centers.
- Groundhog Day Crafts, Worksheets and Printable Books - EnchantedLearning.com
- Groundhog Day Activities and Crafts: Groundhog Day is celebrated in the USA on February 2nd. Crafts for kids. Kindergarten, preschool, and elementary school crafts. Make wonderful, simple crafts about groundhogs using things found around the house.
Gregory's Shadow
Gregory's Shadow was posthumously published by Don Freeman, the creator of Corduroy.
Gregory Groundhog always feels braver when his best pal, his shadow, accompanies him.
On the day before Groundhog Day, Gregory suggests that he and Shadow go find something to eat. "Sure... I'm right behind you," quips his amorphous companion, whom Gregory inadvertently leaves outdoors when he returns to his burrow.
I like to read this book with Moonbear's Shadow by Frank Asch. We make a ven graph to compare the two books.
NOTE: A portion of the author royalties from this title will go to the Don and Lydia Freeman Research Fund to support psychological research concerning children afflicted with cancer.
Groundhog's Day Divination
Every year on February 2 the groundhogs come out of their holes and check their shadows. What does it mean?
If a Groundhog sees his shadow, what does it mean?
Fetching blurbs now... please stand byThere will be six more weeks of winter.
UCAN2 says:
Yes! 6 more weeks of winter! One a half more months (six of one - have dozen of the other!) And what a winter it has been..... But today it is sunny and not as cold. Just give me the sun!
Posted February 02, 2009
KCStargazer says:
Six of one, one and a half of the other, but the saying goes "six weeks". Sunny weather means it is still in a winter weather pattern, so they go back in "frightened" by the shadow (more like the prospect of 6 more weeks of cold) and hibernate. Cloudy weather would indicate being in a Spring weather pattern and warmer weather coming sooner.
Posted February 02, 2008
There will only be one and a half more months of winter.
Pastiche says:
My grandson was born on groundhog day - he's 2 this year on 2/2! It's a sunny day for us no matter what the woodchuck does.
Posted January 30, 2009
Pastiche says:
If he sees his shadow, he won't be eating at my garden for another 6 weeks.
Posted August 18, 2008
EelKat says:
I always wondered how we know he's looking at his shadow and not just contemplating on increasing his inner Zen by meditation of the snow covered blades of grass, in hopes of reaching enlightenment? I mean, why should he care wither he sees his shadow or not?
Posted March 21, 2008
1 of 1 page
What's so special about Feb. 2?
February 2 or Groundhog Day lies about halfway between the winter solstice in December and the vernal equinox in March.
That makes it a "cross-quarter" day.
In some cultures it is celebrated as the mid point of winter. (Remember Shakespeare's Mid-Summer Night's Dream?)
About that time, near the second week of February, that many groundhogs end their hibernation anyway.
Groundhog's Day in Vermont
If the groundhog sees his shadow there will be 6 more weeks of winter. If he doesn't there will last for another month and a half.
Vermonters, affectionately known as Woodchucks, have a dry sense of humor, especially when it comes to their notoriously long winters.
How Much Wood Could a Woodchuck Chuck?
It doesn't really matter,
Because each time he chucks a tree, the EPA says he's required to plant another one.3 points
2/3 of a pound of wood
When answering this question I took into consideration the weight, height, and paw size of a woodchuck. Since a woodchuck's paws are only 4 cm long it limits the amount of wood a woodchuck could chuck. After careful consideration I have decided that a woodchuck could chuck approximately 2/3 of a pound of wood. -Jose Galentino, 6th Grade1 point
57 butt cords of wood
The amount of wood that woodchucks would chuck on a given day varies greatly with the seasons and with the metabolisms of any individual woodchuck. NOTE: the above tabulations take into account that woodchuks chuck no wood on
February second, in observance of ground hog day.)1 point
30 arbitrary units of generic wood,
Provided by local lumberyards at cost. Because, gosh darn it, we stand behind our local woodchucks.1 point
About 700 pounds of wood
According to naturalists at Chimney Rock Park in North Carolina, a groundhog could eat about 700 pounds! The information is based on data taken by a wildlife biologist who measured the inside volume of a typical groundhog borrow. He estimated that if wood was exchanged for dirt, that the amount would be roughly 700 pounds!1 point
How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?
About 700 pounds. Compared to beavers, groundhogs or woodchucks are not adept at moving timber, although some will chew wood. A wildlife biologist once measured the inside volume of a typical woodchuck burrow and estimated that -- if wood filled the hole instead of dirt -- the industrious animal would have chucked about 700 pounds' worth.According to the College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University; New York State Department of Environmental Conservation; Mammals of the Eastern United States, Second Edition, William J. Hamilton Jr. and John O. Whitaker Jr. | Cornell Chronicle 1996
Woodchucks find their Shadows
Exercise for Groundhogs
FIND THE SHADOW!
Trace the outline of a woodchuck onto black poster board.
Hide it somewhere on the playground.
At recess time the kids can take turns hiding and finding the Woodchuck's Shadow.
Go Out and Chuck Some Wood!
Woodchucks Get Some Exercize:
Woodchucks Get Some Exercise:
Go out to the playground with a stack of logs and try chucking wood.
NOTE: Take turns and watch out for splinters!
This could easily be an introduction to the study of life in the 1780's. See Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid.
Why did groundhog fur coats go out of fashion?
Groundhog fur never was in vogue, partly because it is not particularly thick and warm, and because the fur's grizzled gray-brown appearance is more appealing to others of their species than to people.
Groundhog hairs are used for tying trout flies, such as the 'Chuck Caddis, and early American Indians once used sturdy woodchuck hides for soles of moccasins
Woodchuck Literacy Bag
TAKE HOME LITERACY BAGS are a fun way to help children share what they are learning with their families.
Children take these literacy bags home, read the stories and do the activities with their families and then write about their experiences in the journal.
When they return the bag to school they get to share their experience with the class.
This makes homework fun for the whole family.
Each Literacy Bag includes a stuffed animal, a fiction book, a non-fiction book, a few suggested activities, and a journal to record your experiences and suggest other activities.
It also includes a list of materials and directions to any games, a journal to record their activities and a letter to the parents.
See Take Home Literacy Bags to find more literacy bag ideas.
Woodchucks for Literacy Bags
You can find lots of unique items to add to your Literacy Bags at yard sales, flea markets and on Ebay.
Fetching new data from eBay now... please stand by
Fly up to Vermont to see if the Groundhog saw his Shadow
Summer is also a wonderful time for seeing woodchucks.
Woodchucks in the News!
Thank you to the Wheelers for including the Woodchucks in their Directory.
Internet Directory of Unit Studies
Encouraging, uplifting, interesting and perhaps ev more...3 points
Outdoors Journal: Woodchucks
The woodchuck is the largest member of the squirre more...1 point
Brazil Times: Story: Brazil Buzz
When I came upon the burrow, which lead downward a more...1 point
More Ideas for Teaching
Centers, Classroom themes, activities and Lots of Fun!
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Lemmings: Falling into the Sea of Knowledge
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When the winds start to howl and the snow begins to blow you can capture your student's attention with this innovative Arctic Unit Study focusing on lemmings. Your little lemmings will be excited to learn with a theme that includes little furry crea...
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Whitefoot the Wood Mouse: A Mouse Unit Study
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Whitefoot welcomes homeschoolers, teachers, parents and children to turn into mice, scurry through the tunnels and sniff out learning opportunities in every corner. Whitefoot the Wood Mouse welcomes everyone to his nest where learning never ends. He...
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Bluebirds of the Meadow
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Summer nears and the bluebirds start nesting along the fenceline. The children are fascinated with the way they fly back and forth to build their nests. They become the focus of our next Unit Study, Bluebirds of the Meadow. As your little bluebirds...
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River Otters: Playful Friends of the Woodlands!
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Learn about River Otters through games and hands-on learning centers. Decorate your classroom with a Woodlands Riverbank Theme. Learn the habits of River Otters, the food they eat and how they raise their young. You will find suggestions for both fi...
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Creatures of the Woodlands
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Winter is coming on! The little Woodland Creatures are looking for winter dens, storing up food and preparing for the long winter ahead. The Thornton Burgess Books, such as Old Mother Westwind, are just full of charming woodland creatures that bring t...
Friends of the Woodchucks
If you are a friend of the Woodchucks please add your lens.
Squidooers:The more backlinks to your lens the higher your lensrank.
River Otters: Playful Friends of the Woodlands!
Learn about River Otters through games and hands-o more...3 points
Purple Gallinules of the Everglades
Gallinules are spectacular creatures. The can be f more...3 points
Creatures of the Woodlands
It is Springtime! The little Woodland Creatures ar more...3 points
About Groundhog Day
Here you will find the history of Groundhog Day an more...2 points
Woodchucks are in the Four Wheeler's Online Unit Study Directory
- Internet Directory of Unit Studies
- The Four Wheelers Internet Directory of Unit Studies contains a list, roughly arranged by subject, of links to unit studies that are published on the Internet.
Woodchuck Sightings!
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- Chris4Jc
- I love chacha. Told me that woodchucks dont chuck wood that they would rather burrow.
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- WausauChamber
- Join The Wausau Region Chamber at the Woodchucks game July 10 http://cli.gs/WX3WMq
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- parlance1
- @cattyandco I think @stephenfry was watching Wimbledon when he made the outburst. But angry woodchucks would have been my second guess.
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- robgreayer
- The most beautiful day in Harvard! The chickens are in their yard, the woodchucks are in their holes, and all's right with the world.
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- LindaAragoni
- Trio of woodchucks have bachelor apartment in church storage shed next door. Sometimes Mama comes over and they all go out to eat together.
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Do you check for the groundhog's shadow on February 2?
Do your woodchucks chuck wood? Tell me all your woodchuck concerns.
clouda9 wrote...
Wonderful lens! Fun to find out more about this little cutey...we share a very special day :)
Posted February 04, 2009
Aquavel wrote...
I absolutely check the groundhog's shadow every February 2nd.
This lens is amazing! It's packed with info, beautiful visuals & videos & is so much fun! 5*s, faved, & lensrolled to my Groundhog Day lens.
Posted February 03, 2009
fotolady49 wrote...
I have woodchucks aka groundhogs, in my yard, also raccoons, possums, rabbits, squirrels and skunks. I live in the city but we have deep backyards because there is not a street in the middle of the properties. So we have a veritable wildlife sanctuary, and a few deer too. Love your lens.....5*****
Posted January 31, 2009
fotolady49 wrote...
I have woodchucks aka groundhogs, in my yard, also raccoons, possums, rabbits, squirrels and skunks. I live in the city but we have deep backyards because there is not a street in the middle of the properties. So we have a veritable wildlife sanctuary, and a few deer too. Love your lens.....5*****
Posted January 31, 2009
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What could you learn from a Woodchuck?
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Woodchucks under the Old Barn
The Farm where my Woodchucks Live
Learn more about the farm where the woodchucks live. The descendants of the woodchucks that Garner Rix encountered in 1780 now poke their heads of of holes under the old barn. They scurry through the bluebird's meadow and nibble on apples that fall from the trees that Garner Rix planted. Come visit our Vermont farm...-
Apple Trees and Apple Blossoms
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When Garner Rix moved with his family to Vermont in 1780 he brought apple seeds with him. He carefully planted those seeds which grew into trees and produced apple blossoms in Springtime and bushels of apples in the fall. It has been 200 years since...
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Old Vermont Barn
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The old barn on our farm in Vermont was built by my Great-great grandfather in about 1870. He learned to build from his father and grandfather in a tradition passed down from the first New England settlers. He took those traditions but he applied new...
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Garner Rix and the Royalton Raid - 1780
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Garner Rix was just 12 when he moved with his father, pregnant mother, two sisters and three brothers from a farm in Connecticut to a log cabin on the banks of the White River, a place that would one day be called Royalton, Vermont. He helped h...
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Bluebirds of the Meadow
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Summer nears and the bluebirds start nesting along the fenceline. The children are fascinated with the way they fly back and forth to build their nests. They become the focus of our next Unit Study, Bluebirds of the Meadow. As your little bluebirds...
Meet the Author of this Woodchuck Lens
Evelyn's Hands-On Learning Blog.Find out more about this Woodchuck loving teacher:
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Evelyn Saenz: Lensography of a Teacher
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My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that learning should be integrated and no skills should be taught in isolation. I believe that each topic s...
Woodchucks on the Isle of Squid
The Best Squidoo Lenses
Woodchucks! is now featured at the new Isle of Squid website. Isle Of Squid is a directory of the best lenses on Squidoo.com.
Check out Isle Of Squid and Review This Site.
Woodchuck Webrings
by Evelyn_Saenz
My passion is teaching and finding ways to teach children in fun, hands-on, creative ways. The unit studies I make on Squidoo reflect my view that lea... (more)
