ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Smile and Learn English The Secret of the Leap Year! ☀️???? A 366-day adventure
Have you ever wondered why some years have an extra day in February? Well, it’s all because of something called a leap year! A leap year is a special year that has 366 days instead of the usual 365 days. But why do we need this extra day? Let’s find out!
Our Earth is always on the move! It travels around the Sun in a big circle. This journey is called a revolution. It takes the Earth one whole year to go all the way around the Sun. But here’s the tricky part: it doesn’t take exactly 365 days. It actually takes 365 days and 6 hours!
Those extra 6 hours might not seem like a lot, but they add up over time. After four years, those 6 hours become a whole extra day! To keep our calendars in sync with the Earth’s journey around the Sun, we add an extra day to the calendar every four years. This special day is February 29, and it only happens in a leap year!
Did you know that not every year that can be divided by four is a leap year? There’s a little more to it! If a year can be divided by 100, it has to also be divisible by 400 to be a leap year. For example, the year 2000 was a leap year, but 1900 was not!
Leap years are a great time to learn more about our amazing planet and how it moves through space. Next time you see February 29 on the calendar, you’ll know it’s all because of the Earth’s special journey around the Sun!
Leap Year Calendar Craft: Create your own leap year calendar! Use colored paper to make a simple calendar for February. Include February 29 on your calendar. Decorate it with drawings of the Earth and the Sun to show the Earth’s journey around the Sun. As you make your calendar, think about why we need that extra day every four years. Share your calendar with your family and explain why February 29 is special!
Earth’s Journey Role Play: Gather your friends or family and act out the Earth’s journey around the Sun. One person can be the Sun, standing still in the center, while another person is the Earth, walking in a big circle around the Sun. As you walk, count the days it takes to complete one circle. Remember to add those extra 6 hours each year. After four years, add an extra day to your journey to see how a leap year works!
Leap Year Detective: Become a leap year detective and find out which years are leap years! Look at a calendar and find the years that can be divided by four. Check if they are also divisible by 100 and 400 to see if they are really leap years. Write down the leap years you find and share them with your class. Can you predict when the next leap year will be?
The movement of the Earth around the Sun is called revolution. The Earth takes one whole year to complete this orbit. However, the revolution of the Earth around the Sun doesn’t take exactly 365 days; it takes 365 days and 6 hours. To account for this extra time, we have leap years, which include one additional day, making it 366 days. That’s why every four years, February has one extra day, February 29.
