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"Leap Day has many impacts on our day to day life even if it seems to have no purpose. The economy, seasons, and some birthday celebrations share one thing in common: they are all strongly affected by the extra day."
--Isabella Schainker, 6th grade
What is Leap Day? Leap Day is a day in February, added to the years that are divisible by 4. According to the History Channel, “Leap Day occurs because of Earth’s orbital revolution around the Sun that takes 6 hours longer than 365 whole days.” This translates to saying that at the end of every fourth year, there is an extra 6 hours added to the second month of the year, which is also known as February 29th. Every other year besides a leap year, there are only 28 days in the month of February. A Leap Day is added in various calendars known as solar calendars. Solar calendars are calendars that are based on the Earth’s revolution and orbit around the sun.
Leap Day’s economic impact? Does the extra day provide any kind of boost for the economy? The short answer is “not really.” According to The Slate.Com, “One extra day makes the year 0.27% longer allowing for 0.27% more economic activity to take place.” So, it is true that all things considered that you might get a very small boost to your income totals. But, this boost means nothing, in terms of negative issues such as unemployment and homelessness. Leap Day causes these negatives to only increase.
Effects on seasons caused by Leap Day? If there were no leap years, the seasons would completely swap every 750 years —the middle of summer would become the middle of winter. The addition of Leap Day every four years actually helps seasons stay in sync. According to Chicago Tribute, “Leap Day helps to keep the Earth in the same position relative to the sun on any given day of the year. Without a Leap Day every fourth year, the Earth's seasons would very gradually get out of sync with the time of year.”
Does Leap Day affect anyone? Few people have any relation to Leap Day and think of it the same as any other day. This added day in February is most likely meaningless unless it is physically impacting you or someone you know. But, there are a few who know what it is like to have a birthday on Leap Day. Some people think it is special to have a Leap Day birthday and think it is unique—while others think it is a negative to have your birthday on a day that will only happen every four years. For better or worse, 187,000 people in the United States and approximately four million others around the world, are born on February 29th and can only celebrate their “real” birthday every fourth year. On every year that is not divisible by four, the people with a Leap Day birthday often celebrate on February 28th.
Kate Mochizuki is a sixth grade student at Junior Jets in Alameda, California, who is a “Leap Day Baby.” “I am not totally sure why the day exists,” said Mochizuki, “I don’t know why they made it.” Though she does not understand why there is an extra day in February, Mochizuki says that the day does not affect her everyday life very much. “People are usually surprised when I say my birthday is on Leap Day but often nothing else,” she said. Mochizuki has been alive for eleven years but has only celebrated two of her Leap Day birthdays so far, with her third Leap Day birthday coming this year.
“Personally, I only know two other people that have the same birthday as me,” said Mochizuki, adding that she enjoys her birthday but she does not seem certain of her statement. “It’s fun to have a different kind of birthday than everyone, but also it’s not fun not being able to celebrate on your actual birthday every year,” she said.
Mochizuki seemed excited about her birthday being this year. “I guess I am excited because, the last time I got to celebrate it, I was eight, and it is nice to celebrate on my real birthday.”
Tamar Kahana, another sixth grade student at Junior Jets in Alameda, California says, having a Leap Year birthday “kind of sucks, because my birthday doesn’t happen very often. But, sometimes it is cool to say that I am two years old.”
Kahana is 11 years old but is only going to be celebrating her third birthday this year. Kahana has mixed feelings about Leap Day, but, a thought shared with Mochizuki, having a Leap Day birthday hasn’t affected them very often in their life. Other people do think of her differently sometimes. “People will often think it is crazy and super cool but they get over it in a little while.”
Kahana seems to enjoy her birthday being on the extra day in February. “It’s really interesting to me and it gives me something cool to talk about,” she said. Kahana seems to mostly enjoy Leap Day and her birthday, and she is excited for her birthday this year. “I am very excited since my parents make a big deal out of it and I get double the presents.”
People that do not have a birthday on Leap Day may not understand what it means to only get to celebrate every four years. “I know that it is like a day in a year, like an extra day, that is not supposed to be there,” said Piper Stuip, a sixth grade student at Oakland School for the Arts.” It only happens every couple of years, I don't remember.” Stuip says that she doesn’t know anyone with a birthday on Leap Day.
The extra day does not seem very important to Stuip. She does not have a strong opinion on the matter and has little interest in the topic. “I guess it is just part of the cycle, it is just another day. It is not very important. Not good or bad.” Stuip says that she treats the day the same as every other day. “Yes, just another day.”
Daria Oxley is another sixth grade student at Oakland School for the Arts. Oxley thinks that having a birthday on Leap Day would be a positive. “I think Leap Day is cool, it is cool because your birthday seems to disappear sometimes,” she tries to explain her thoughts.“It seems like you may not age as fast?” Oxley says that she may have a good time with a Leap Day birthday. “It seems fun, like to still get a celebration every year but then every four years you would get an even bigger celebration.”
Leap Day’s economic impact? Does the extra day provide any kind of boost for the economy? The short answer is “not really.” According to The Slate.Com, “One extra day makes the year 0.27% longer allowing for 0.27% more economic activity to take place.” So, it is true that all things considered that you might get a very small boost to your income totals. But, this boost means nothing, in terms of negative issues such as unemployment and homelessness. Leap Day causes these negatives to only increase.
Effects on seasons caused by Leap Day? If there were no leap years, the seasons would completely swap every 750 years —the middle of summer would become the middle of winter. The addition of Leap Day every four years actually helps seasons stay in sync. According to Chicago Tribute, “Leap Day helps to keep the Earth in the same position relative to the sun on any given day of the year. Without a Leap Day every fourth year, the Earth's seasons would very gradually get out of sync with the time of year.”
Does Leap Day affect anyone? Few people have any relation to Leap Day and think of it the same as any other day. This added day in February is most likely meaningless unless it is physically impacting you or someone you know. But, there are a few who know what it is like to have a birthday on Leap Day. Some people think it is special to have a Leap Day birthday and think it is unique—while others think it is a negative to have your birthday on a day that will only happen every four years. For better or worse, 187,000 people in the United States and approximately four million others around the world, are born on February 29th and can only celebrate their “real” birthday every fourth year. On every year that is not divisible by four, the people with a Leap Day birthday often celebrate on February 28th.
Kate Mochizuki is a sixth grade student at Junior Jets in Alameda, California, who is a “Leap Day Baby.” “I am not totally sure why the day exists,” said Mochizuki, “I don’t know why they made it.” Though she does not understand why there is an extra day in February, Mochizuki says that the day does not affect her everyday life very much. “People are usually surprised when I say my birthday is on Leap Day but often nothing else,” she said. Mochizuki has been alive for eleven years but has only celebrated two of her Leap Day birthdays so far, with her third Leap Day birthday coming this year.
“Personally, I only know two other people that have the same birthday as me,” said Mochizuki, adding that she enjoys her birthday but she does not seem certain of her statement. “It’s fun to have a different kind of birthday than everyone, but also it’s not fun not being able to celebrate on your actual birthday every year,” she said.
Mochizuki seemed excited about her birthday being this year. “I guess I am excited because, the last time I got to celebrate it, I was eight, and it is nice to celebrate on my real birthday.”
Tamar Kahana, another sixth grade student at Junior Jets in Alameda, California says, having a Leap Year birthday “kind of sucks, because my birthday doesn’t happen very often. But, sometimes it is cool to say that I am two years old.”
Kahana is 11 years old but is only going to be celebrating her third birthday this year. Kahana has mixed feelings about Leap Day, but, a thought shared with Mochizuki, having a Leap Day birthday hasn’t affected them very often in their life. Other people do think of her differently sometimes. “People will often think it is crazy and super cool but they get over it in a little while.”
Kahana seems to enjoy her birthday being on the extra day in February. “It’s really interesting to me and it gives me something cool to talk about,” she said. Kahana seems to mostly enjoy Leap Day and her birthday, and she is excited for her birthday this year. “I am very excited since my parents make a big deal out of it and I get double the presents.”
People that do not have a birthday on Leap Day may not understand what it means to only get to celebrate every four years. “I know that it is like a day in a year, like an extra day, that is not supposed to be there,” said Piper Stuip, a sixth grade student at Oakland School for the Arts.” It only happens every couple of years, I don't remember.” Stuip says that she doesn’t know anyone with a birthday on Leap Day.
The extra day does not seem very important to Stuip. She does not have a strong opinion on the matter and has little interest in the topic. “I guess it is just part of the cycle, it is just another day. It is not very important. Not good or bad.” Stuip says that she treats the day the same as every other day. “Yes, just another day.”
Daria Oxley is another sixth grade student at Oakland School for the Arts. Oxley thinks that having a birthday on Leap Day would be a positive. “I think Leap Day is cool, it is cool because your birthday seems to disappear sometimes,” she tries to explain her thoughts.“It seems like you may not age as fast?” Oxley says that she may have a good time with a Leap Day birthday. “It seems fun, like to still get a celebration every year but then every four years you would get an even bigger celebration.”
