Leap Year

Leap Day

February 29

Thirty days hath September,
April, June, and November,
All the rest have thirty-one,
Excepting February alone
Which hath but twenty-eight, in fine,
Till leap year gives it twenty-nine.

Leap Year

A leap year has 366 days. A non-leap year has 365 days. The extra day is added to the shortest month, February, to give it 29 days (one day more than its usual 28 days). The 29th day is called Leap Day.

If we did not leap, the calendar would be off by almost 6 hours (actually 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 45 seconds) each year. One orbit of Earth around the sun takes 365.2422 days. Adding an extra day every four years to the calendar helps to make it match the four seasons.

A leap year is one that is divisible by four. An end-of-the century year also must be divisible by 400 to be a leap year. 2000 was a leap year but 1900 was not.

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Things to Do

Frog Jumping Contest

Make An Origami Frog That Really Jumps!
Challenge students to make a origami frog and see whose frog can jump the farthest.

February 29 worksheet

Leap Year Worksheet
8 questions to answer by coloring each letter of the word February.

February 29 exploding numbers art
The exploding numbers art activity at First Palette would be great for Febuary 29th. Have children write at the top of the paper "Happy February" then make the exploding numbers 29. The year could also be included. At the bottom of the paper "Leap Year" or "Leap Day" could be added.

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Recommended Books

Leap's Day: February 29
by Stephanie Bee Simmons

Leap's Day is a story about the calendar, friendship and the things that make us special. Join Leap as he sets out to find a special day - a "birthday" - for each one of his friends, only to discover that he must first create a calendar. Leap works with his dad to unravel the mystery of years, months, days and dates - and of course that pesky little day that comes along just once every four years.

This entertaining and educational title helps familiarize young readers with time measurements. From decades, to centuries, to millenniums, the easy-to-read book offers engaging pictures and simple sentences to illustrate each type of measurement fully. In no time, young readers will be able to use each measurement system for themselves. Fun facts and a quick quiz give young readers additional reading and learning. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards.

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