It happens only once every four years, so why not celebrate Leap Day on Monday, February 29? Because the earth’s orbit around the sun doesn’t exactly equal 365 days, every fourth year we get one extra day in February to even things out. It doesn’t seem like much, but over a century those days would add up, throwing the calendar off by almost a month, and changing the months in which seasons usually occur.
Even if you aren’t a leapling (born on Leap Day) you can celebrate as a family through a variety of activities inspired by frogs, the ultimate leapers. Kids can learn about the frog lifecycle with a sensory bin, wear froggy headbands, eat frog-themed snacks and create a Leap Day time capsule to mark the occasion.
Leap Year frog printables
If you're planning a Leap party, this fabulous party pack from the Etsy shop The Frog Prince Paperie will take care of the decor for you. Emblazoned with cute frogs and patterned in varying shades of green, these printables will brighten your day! Check out the digital download.
Frog sensory bin
Looking for a fun, froggy and educational activity to do with your kids on Leap Day? Megan, author of the Coffee Cups and Crayons blog, created this sensory bin from stuff she had around the house. She used her kids’ water- and sand-play table to create both an aquatic and land environment. Check out her post to see how she did it, and then make one of your own!
Frog hats
Created from green foam, pipe cleaners and wiggle eyes, these fun hats will have kids jumping for joy/ At a Leap Day celebration, kids can wear these toad toppers while playing leap frog and engaging in other froggy activities. For older kids, frog headbands could be a craft project for after school or as a party activity. Check out the detailed instructions.
Leap frog aquariums
Jello frog aquariums are a perfect party food, or even a snack for a school party. Mix up a batch of blue Jello and mold into in clear plastic cups the night before Leap Day. Add gummy candy frogs to your “aquariums” once the gelatin is set. What a great idea from the Sand and Table blog! Here’s a link to purchase gummy frogs on Amazon.
Frog sandwiches
Even if you don’t throw a Leap Day party, you can still make your kids giggle by serving up frog sandwiches for lunch or dinner! Pair these silly snacks with green Kool aid and call it bug juice for a festive Leap Day meal. Check out the Sand and Table blog author’s directions.
Frog cupcakes
Every party needs cake, right? These cute frog cupcakes were easy to make. I started with store-bought, unfrosted cupcakes, but of course you can bake your own. Frost the cooled cupcakes with green icing. (I used store-bought white frosting which I tinted green with food coloring.) Next, use green fruit-slice candy for the eyes, placing two side by side, flat side down, along the back of the cupcake. For eyeballs, cut a small marshmallow in half and press each half flat with your finger to make two thin discs. I used a tube of black frosting to create the pupils in the center of each eyeball. Stick each marshmallow onto the center of each fruit slice with a dot of frosting. The smile is a red fruit Roll Up cut into a thin strip with kitchen scissors and the tongue is cut from the rest of the red fruit Roll Up. Yum!
Leap Day time capsule
How much will your kids change before the next leap year, in 2020? Consider creating a Leap Year Time Capsule. This pretty capsule isn’t meant to be buried in the ground, but stored away and opened on Leap Day, 2020. I created this one by covering an empty, clean Pringles can in green patterned scrapbook paper. I then decorated the can with a paper frog cutout and chipboard letters and numbers to spell out Leap Day 2016. Inside, I plan to put tracings of my kids’ hands, a questionnaire about their favorite things, and a length of twine for each child measuring their heights. I’m sure the kids will love seeing how much they’ve grown and changed when we open the time capsule in 2020!
