Page 2 - Kind News, Jr. Jan/Feb 2021 Parent Guide

ANSWER KEY DO ACTIVITIES

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KINDNEWS.ORG!
“Winter Words” Puzzle answers FROM PAGE 7

ACROSS DOWN
4. Omnivores eat both plants 1. To dig a hole is to burrow.
and animals. 2. A way animals slow down in the winter is to hibernate.
6. Painful tangles in fur are 3. Finders of food are called foragers.
called matting.
5. Nocturnal means active at night.

Critter Clues FROM PAGE 7

front page, from top: mikhalitskaia/bigstock; redrover, raja: bryan huff. this page: amy moore/pixabay.
Our mystery critter is the groundhog. Although they are best known
for the superstition that they can predict the coming of springtime, these furry
creatures are unique for many other reasons!
Groundhogs can be found all over North America. They are omnivores but eat
mainly vegetables. Aside from raising their babies, groundhogs are mostly solitary
creatures. Despite this, groundhogs do communicate to warn each other of danger.
They emit a high-pitched, shrill sound to do so, earning them the nickname “whistle-pig!”
Groundhogs are “true” hibernators. They rely on body fat to make it through the winter!
A groundhog’s heartbeat and body temperature drop dramatically during hibernation. If the weather is colder,
they will wait longer to emerge in the spring. It’s possible that this contributed to the tradition of celebrating
Groundhog Day, but it can also be traced back to German settlers who believed that animals like groundhogs or
badgers could predict the weather, and other European settlers who thought that if the sun was shining on February 2,
there would be six more weeks of winter.
Although they spend most of their time alone, groundhogs still build extensive burrows for their families. Their
burrows can be over 60 feet long and have many different chambers and entrances. Groundhogs are not considered
a threatened species, but farmers and gardeners often see them as pests because they eat crops. Farmers also worry
about the impact of groundhog burrows on farms: machines can break when they run over the mounds, and horses
can trip over them. There are many humane ways of resolving conflicts with groundhogs, however, such as building high
fences. For more information, visit humanesociety.org/resources/what-do-about-woodchucks.

RedRover.org/Readers

Did you know that RedRover offers virtual readings of animal-themed stories for
classrooms? Through a story, discussion, and extension activity, students learn about
empathy, friendship, and kindness to animals and people. The virtual readings are 45
minutes to an hour long and are aligned with social and emotional learning standards.
Learn more at RedRover.org/virtualreadings.

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