Groundhog Day Family Activities

There is only one day during the year that is devoted to rodents. On February 2nd, the iconic rodent, Punxsutawney Phil, comes out of hiding and tells the world if there will be six more weeks of winter. Groundhog Day is a day for all rodents – whether mice, chipmunks, or rats – to step up and celebrate. Phil may be the star of the day, but there are many talented rodents that we all have grown to know and love.

To celebrate the wonder of rodents everywhere, there are many things that families can do together on Groundhog Day that will be fun, exciting, and educational about rodents. After watching Phil look for his shadow, families can tune in to see the world’s most famous rodent, Mickey Mouse, on the Disney Channel, watch the movie Groundhog Day with Bill Murray or Pixar’s Rattatoullie, and play Alvin & The Chipmunks: The Squeakquel video game. These are just a few of the many ways to pay homage to these pesky critters.

Fun Facts from Groundhog.org:

• The average groundhog is 20 inches long and normally weighs from 12 to 15 pounds.

• A groundhog can whistle when it is alarmed. Groundhogs also whistle in the spring when they begin courting. 

• Groundhogs are one of the few animals that really hibernate. Hibernation is not just a deep sleep. It is actually a deep coma, where the body temperature drops to a few degrees above freezing, the heart barely beats, the blood scarcely flows, and breathing nearly stops.

• Young Groundhogs are usually born in mid-April or May, and by July they are able to go out on their own. The size of the litter is 4 to 9. A baby groundhog is called a kit or a cub.

• A groundhog's life span is normally 6 to 8 years.

For fun activities to do with your kids, visit http://www.groundhog.org/teachers/activities/ . These cupcakes would be a yummy mid-week treat to celebrate(hopefully the arrival of spring!)
 

Alvin & the Chipmunks The Squeakquel the Video Game

Everyone’s favorite musical acts, Alvin and The Chipmunks and The Chipettes, their friendly girl-group rivals, are on a world tour featuring performances by each band and including duets, to break attendance records and build up their fan bases. Musical sparks are ignited as The Chipmunks and The Chipettes square off, jet around the world and perform together in the ultimate concert finale at Hollywood’s Super Duper Dome.

We were recently sent the new Alvin game for the Wii. I let Caleb, my oldest, play by himself first. Playing is much like the Dance Revolution games at the arcades, you just use your hands to match the arrows. It looked simple enough to me. Ha, not so, it speeds up when your the one playing. Needless to say, I didn't beat Caleb, but that's nothing new. :) Allie adores the Chipmunks, and tries to mimic their dancing! This game will get you moving! And, it is a lot of fun.

You can play as the Chipmunks or their female counterparts, The Chipettes in a battle of the bands world tour. Gain enough fans, and you'll travel through 25 cities in the Wii edition. It's a fun, entertaining game for all ages with songs like "U Can't Touch This" and "Girls Just Want to Have Fun".

Alvin and The Chipmunks The Squeakquel Wii Game retails for $39.99 and can be purchased online at Amazon or at game retailers nationwide. 

The product(s) featured were provided free of cost to me for the sole purpose of this review. Opinions expressed are my own and are NOT influenced by monetary compensation.