Make a Puppet

• Draw a simple groundhog picture using a small black marker or print a groundhog clip-art picture from online. Make one copy for each child. The picture should include two main, separate sections: the head and the body. Allow the children to color the groundhog picture with crayons or markers. If the children are old enough, allow them to cut out the two sections with safety scissors. If they are too young to use scissors, quickly cut the pictures yourself after they are colored. Give each child a brown unopened paper bag and instruct her to glue the pictures onto the bags. Glue the head portion onto the bottom flap. Open the flap and glue the body portion underneath the flap, butting the top of the picture against the crease in the bag. Children can put their hands in the bags, utilizing the flap to make their puppet "speak."
  
  

Decorate the Puppet

• Allow the children to personalize their groundhogs using buttons, glitter, paper cutouts, yarn and other crafts materials. They may also give their puppets name tags. "Punxsutawney Phil" may be overwhelming for a young child to write, so suggest they create their own names or utilize the name of your school or town. They may also decide whether they want a spring or winter groundhog and decorate accordingly. A groundhog that predicted an early spring will need sunglasses, while one that predicted six weeks of winter may require a scarf.
  
  

Make a Doll

• Use a brown paper bag to create a groundhog that stands on its own paws. Devise a groundhog drawing similar to the puppet picture. This drawing, however, requires the following sections: a head, two front paws and two back paws. For this project, the front paws should be longer and resemble hands. Color then cut out the individual pictures. Fill an open bag with scrunched-up newspaper and fold down the top once and the top corners twice. Staple the bag shut. Allow the children to glue the groundhog body parts onto the bag. The head, of course, goes on top and the hands can be placed anywhere along each side. Glue the back paws onto the bottom of the bag so that they extend out and face up.
  
  

Decorate the Doll

• Allow the children to adorn the dolls using decorative craft materials. Because the dolls stand on their own, the kids can give them extra items to wear such as hats and umbrellas. The additional advantage to creating the doll is that it can also be used as a goody bag. Fill it with jelly beans, stickers or an assortment of treats that the kids can take home and enjoy.