I've been talking to students about the extra day that is added to the calendar every four years, making it a leap year. This Saturday is February 29, leap day. My students were not aware of what a leap year is so I explained to them that because the earth's orbit around the sun is actually 365 days and 6 hours, that over a period of 4 years an extra day is created. Over time, this would keep adding extra days and eventually cause a problem with where we place the seasons of spring, summer, fall, and winter on our calendar.
For fun, I set up a leap day obstacle course with everything having to do with leaping, jumping, lily pads, or frogs. Students leaped over mini hurdles, frog jumped through hoops, did bullfrog bowling, threw frogs on lily pads and logs, tossed and caught frogs in scoops, hopped on hippity hops, jumped through an agility ladder, did a standing long jump, and several more stations. Students moved freely through the course and got to repeat it several times. They enjoyed it.
This student just barely caught his frog in the scoop.
Students frog jumped through connected hoops.
Moving through the agility ladder.
Stepping on the squishy lily pads.
