It’s Leap Year!

2024 is a special year. It’s Leap Year!

That means we all get one extra day this year, and it only happens every four years (or thereabouts if you pay attention to scientists).

We add Feb. 29th to this year, called an intercalary day, which means Feb. 29th is inserted in the calendar to harmonize it with the solar year.

There’s all kinds of science behind this one day, having to do with the number of days it takes the Earth to complete one orbit around the sun. Did you know the “common year” of 365 days is actually a rounded number? It takes Earth 365 days, five hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds to orbit the sun. That extra five hours, 48 minutes and 56 seconds needs to be accounted for somehow, or the seasons would begin to drift.

For more details about the science behind Leap Year, read this article from the Smithsonian’s National Air & Space Museum from around the last Leap Year, in 2020.  https://airandspace.si.edu/stories/editorial/science-leap-year.

But let’s focus on how to make that “extra” day special this year. That’s 24 extra hours to fill up with meaningful stuff. Or 24 extra hours to fill up with much-needed rest. How you spend the day is up to you (and your kids)! But it seems a shame to waste the gift of time.

This year, Feb. 29th is on a Thursday. Our college kids will be attending their regular Thursday classes, but you can still make it a special day. Send them a dozen cookies, with 1 “extra” to commemorate the day. Venmo them $29 for a nice dinner. Send them a big case of Extra gum. Send them a jump rope. Or a little Leap Frog game to play with friends.

That’s what we’re doing – sending our girls and their roomies a Leap Frog game with a bunch of other leaping frog items. It’s our special “Leap Day” care package, to send around Mon. Feb. 22nd-ish. Think gummy frogs, chocolate frogs, a tiny frog plush and some frog socks. Just a few items to make Leap Day fun for our college students.

And encourage your students to get out and enjoy the extra day. It’s one we haven’t had since 2020, when they were in a different place in their lives. A lot has happened since then the world and the way they live everyday has change, so let’s celebrate all of the “extras” we get!!