Leap Year
Leap Day
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.
"What Is Leap Year - Short clear explanation with a slide presentation.
Leap Year and Leap day - What is a leap year?
Video
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.
