We had so much fun yesterday as we got ready for the Winter Olympics to begin in Russia. We brought a little bit of the Olympic spirit right into our home. First, we started off our day making these yummy Banana Pancakes in the form of the Olympic Rings. (I will post this simple recipe soon.) While we ate breakfast, I asked the kids about what the rings were for and how they related to the Olympics. I used some of the sources from the Olympics official site here. They have all kinds of awesome resources to teach your kids and yourself. I am learning so much about the Olympics that I never knew before.
After breakfast, we started reading out loud the book "Hour of Olympics" from the Magic Tree House that we downloaded onto our IPAD from the library. After each chapter we read, we used this great comprehension guide designed by Hollie Griffith to help get the kids to follow the story along. We covered a few chapters this morning. The kids couldn't believe that girls could not go to the Olympics back when the first Olympics began in Greece over 2500 years ago. They had so many questions! Afterwards, we went outside to paint the Olympic rings and to quiz them about what they had learned while eating their pancakes. The Olympic Rings painting project was super easy! Here's what we did. I saw this one floating around on Pinterest and I thought we could throw it into our morning fun.
Next, we went to the garage to cut some pieces of wood to use for our Olympic torch project. The kids had fun creating their own torch and flame. We used aluminum foil and attached it to the top of the dowel with a staple gun. It worked great. I had fun making one too! The kids ended up using the one I made while we had our Olympic Relay.
After we finished our torches, we went for a walk to the park while the kids held their torches high and cheered for the US of A. I am sure people driving by were wondering what we were doing. When we got to the park, I had the kids spread out around the play area and we set up our relay. It was a blast! My son even had some fun slipping in the mud. He doesn't look too sad that he got mud all over. Their baby brother cheered them on from the sidelines. It might be a little crazy, but it really got the kids into the Olympic spirit and they are excited now to see the Olympic torch at the Opening Ceremonies today. Let the Games Begin!
Here are some more resources for you to check out.
Scholastic Olympics Teacher Resources
More information on the Olympics can be found here. I hope this helps inspire you to have some fun with your family during the next two weeks as we cheer on the United States of America and the Olympic Spirit. I love what the Olympic motto and creed says, "Faster – Higher – Stronger" "The most important thing in life is not the triumph, but the fight; the essential thing is not to have won, but to have fought well." Enjoy!