Whether it is Groundhog Day or you are just wanting to learn more about these mammals, enjoy these homeschool nature study activities about woodchucks, groundhogs, prairie dogs and marmots!
10 Groundhog Homeschool Nature Study Activities
Have fun learning about these mammals! If you don’t have groundhogs near you, enjoy the alternate nature study activities for mammals.
Read About Groundhogs in The Handbook of Nature Study
1. Read pages 229-232 in the Handbook of Nature Study. As you read, highlight or underline some facts you can share with your children. There are observation ideas on page 231 and many of these suggestions are ones that you can continue to make over the next few seasons.
More Fun Learning About Groundhogs
Have you ever seen a marmot or a groundhog? Here is a cute video to introduce you to this mammal.
- All About Groundhogs (video)
- A fun woodchuck fact sheet for kids (includes a coloring page)
- Information on marmots
- Prairie Dog information with video
Read About The Groundhog in The Burgess Animal Book for Children
Enjoy this supplemental reading in The Burgess Animal Book for Children: Read Stories 7-8. After you read each story, pause and let your child narrate back some facts they learned from the reading.
This could be as simple as looking at the illustrations on pages 48 and 54 and having them tell you a few things about the woodchuck, the marmot, or the prairie dog.
Groundhog Outdoor Hour Nature Study
Spend 10-15 minutes outdoors on a nature walk. Look for signs of mammals as you walk. Look for tracks, burrows, holes, or scat. If you are able to observe one of this challenge’s featured mammals, be sure to use some of the observation ideas from page 231. Be alert for any opportunity to observe a mammal during your outdoor time. So far we have learned about rabbits and squirrels, but be on the look out for more common mammals like dogs, cats, or horses.
Don’t have groundhogs near you? More ideas for a mammal nature study in the Ultimate Mammals Homeschool Nature Study Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges.
Enjoy founder Barb McCoy’s family study of groundhogs and a foggy day walk.
Groundhog Nature Journaling Activity
After your outdoor time, if you observed a mammal, you can look it up in the Handbook of Nature Study. For your nature journal you can sketch something you saw during your outdoor time. One additional idea is to compare two animals that we have already studied. You can compare a rabbit and a prairie dog or a squirrel and a prairie dog. Make sketches or make a list of the comparisons. You may also use any of the additional resources for your nature journal.
Additional Groundhog Resources for Your Homeschool
- Woodchuck/groundhog notebook page and facts
- Ultimate Mammals Homeschool Nature Study Using the Outdoor Hour Challenges
- Prairie Dog coloring page (scroll down to prairie dog)
- You ARE an ARTiST Groundhog art lesson
Join The Homeschool Nature Study Membership for Year Round Support
You will find a continuing series on mammals plus all the Outdoor Hour Challenges for nature study in our Homeschool Nature Study membership. There are 25+ continuing courses with matching Outdoor Hour curriculum that will bring the Handbook of Nature Study to life in your homeschool! In addition, there is an interactive monthly calendar with daily nature study prompt – all at your fingertips!
Written by Outdoor Hour Challenges founder, Barb and updated by Tricia.