Olympic Theme Day

The Olympics

The Olympics are hosted every two years, alternating summer and winter. I was inspired to make this Theme Day by a childhood memory actually. My sister and two of my cousins created our own backyard Olympics for the 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympics. We made paper medals and chose our countries (I chose Romania for some reason) and then competed in our own events (the swing set hang, a long distance race down the street, standing broad jump etc.). My sister and I fondly remember that day and I wanted my kids to have their own Olympic childhood memories.

I am not a huge sports fan and rarely will you find me watching any sort of game or event on television but come Olympic time I cannot get enough! I’m not sure what it is about the Olympics, maybe the International Unity, but I absolutely love watching Olympic sports! Fortunately for me my kids enjoy it, too, and the Olympic Printables (below) will make it especially fun. Even if you or your family are not sports fans you may be inspired to watch an event or two by having an Olympics Theme Day.

Print out the Family Theme Day Planner and decide which activities you’d like to do and in what order.

INTRODUCTORY DISCUSSION:

The first Olympic Games are said to have begun in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece! There were fewer events and only men could compete. Check here http://www.olympic.org/ancient-olympic-games and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ancient_Olympic_Games for more information on the Ancient Olympic Games.

For a simple history of the Modern Olympic Games try here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Games

SONGS:

The Greek National Anthem is played at every Olympics. To hear the Anthem click here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDTVFbTHB5w&noredirect=1

The Olympic Hymn is also informally known as the Olympic Anthem and was composed by Spyridon Samaras with the lyrics by Greek poet Kostis Palamas. Check here for some history and for the lyrics (you can also hear it by clicking on the music sample button on the left side): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_Hymn

Perhaps the most well known sound of the Olympic Games belongs to the tune known as Olympic Anthem: Bugler’s Dream or Olympic fanfare, composed by Leo Arnaud. Click here to hear the Anthem: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IizWc4cJwbw

SCRAPBOOK ACTIVITIES:

COLOURING PAGES:

You can find many free colouring pages online by using your favourite search engine and typing in Olympics Coloring pages or print out my “Go for the Gold!” Coloring Page.

JOURNALING QUESTION PROMPT:

Write out one or more of the following questions in your Family Theme Day Scrapbook or on a piece of paper to glue in your scrapbook: What are your favourite Olympic events? Which Olympic event would you like to try? What do you know about the host country of this year’s Olympics?

Choose the level of your child:

¨ Toddler – discuss the answer(s) out loud first and have your child draw a picture of the answer

¨ Preschooler/Kindergartener – discuss the answer(s) out loud first and write the answer down for him/her leaving one word for him/her to write out himself/herself with your help. You could also encourage him/her to draw a picture as well.

¨ Early Grade School – have your child either write out the answer himself/herself (encourage phonetic spelling) without your help, or offer to help with spelling each word out loud one word at a time.

¨ Grade School – have your child write a sentence or two on his/her own and then read over and discuss the response. (You decide whether to correct the spelling or not)

¨ Older Child – have your child write a longer response (paragraph).

¨ As A Challenge – instead of a question ask your older child to write a story or poem about the Olympics.

PUZZLES:

Print out an Olympic Word Search:

Easy Olympic Word Search or Difficult Summer Olympic Events Word Search

or Difficult Winter Olympics Word Search

Check here for the answer keys:

Easy Olympic Word Search Key or Difficult Summer Olympic Events Word Search Key

or Difficult Winter Olympics Word Search Key

BOOKS:

Raid your child’s bookshelves to find any books on or about the Olympics and/or sports.

Go to the library with your child to find some books about the Olympics.

Go to the library on your own to find books on...from both fiction and nonfiction to have already on hand for your theme day. Many libraries allow you to go online and search for titles based on subject. Reserve them if you can to save time.

Try to find some of these nonfiction/learning titles:

· Eyewitness Books: Olympics, written by Chris Oxlade and David Ballheimer, DK Publishing, 2005—Eyewitness Books have a lot of facts and would be better suited for older children to read but younger children will love to pour over the numerous photographs.

· Great Olympic Moments, by Michael Hurley, Heinemann Library, 2012—This book offers many interesting Olympic moments with easy to read text and photographs.

· The Olympics Events, by Moira Butterfield, Sea-to-Sea, 2012—This is a thorough book for children with detail but not a daunting amount and photos from different Olympic events. There are three other books in this series as well The Olympics History, The Olympics Records, and The Olympics Scandals.

· The Olympic Sports: Marital Arts, Boxing, and Other Combat Sports, by Jason Page, Crabtree Publishing Company, 2008—this is one book in a series of others featuring different Olympic sports . The book are nice reviews of the various events featured in the Olympic Games and feature photographs and facts. Other titles include: Cycling, Shooting and Show Jumping; Basketball, Soccer and Other Ball Games; Sprints, Hurdles and Other Track Events; and four others.

· The Olympic Sports: London 2012 Olympic Venues, by James Nixon, Crabtree Publishing, 2012—This is another book in the same series as above but with a different author and instead of focusing on the events it focuses on the venues and host country of the 2012 games. We found this book really interesting and especially liked the schedule of events at the back of the book. Hopefully this company will make other books for future Olympics.

· Summer Olympics: The Definitive Guide to the World’s Greatest Sports Celebration, by Clive Gifford, kingfisher, 2004—This would be a good book for older kids who are interested in learning more about the summer Olympics.

· Winter Olympic Sports: Paralympics Sports Events, by Robin Johnson, Crabtree Publishing, 2010—This little pocket book is a thorough look at what the winter Paralympics is all about. There are more titles in this as well like Alpine and Freestyle Skiing; and Snowboard, plus there are eight titles on the Summer Olympics.

· The World of Olympics, by Nick Hunter, Heinemann Library, 2012—this is an all around good over-view of the Olympics suitable for different ages in your family. It has facts but not huge amounts of text and has bright photographs as well.

Here are some picture books:

· G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet, by Brad Herzog and illustrated by Doug Bowles, Sleeping Bear Press, 2011—Younger children will love the rhyming text for each letter of the alphabet and older children will appreciate the interesting facts and anecdotes relayed on the side of each brightly and beautifully illustrated page. I learned a lot, too!

· How to Train with a T.Rex and Win 8 Gold Medals, by Michael Phelps with Alan Abrahamson and illustrated by ward Jenkins, Simon & Schuster Books for Young People, 2009—This fun book has an illustrated version of Olympian Michael Phelps telling the reader about what he did to train leading up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics using funny comparisons like the fact that how many miles he racked up swimming over 6 years equals the same length as swimming from his hometown in Baltimore to the North Pole and back twice!

· The Smurf Olympics, by Peyo, Papercut, 2012—This graphic novel features one complete Smurf Olympic story and a number of other sports related comics. This was a hit with my sons , plus it was fun to re-discover the Smurfs which I adored as a child.

· Touch the Sky: Alice Coachman, Olympic High Jumper, by Ann Malaspina and illustrations by Eric Velasquez, Albert Whitman & Company, 2012—This picture book tells the true story of Alice Coachman, who in the 1948 London Olympics made history when she became the first African-American woman to win Olympic Gold. This inspiring story starts when she is a girl in the 1930’s and ends at the Olympics.

Here are some books about the ancient Olympics in Greece:

· The Ancient Greek Olympics, by Richard Woff, oxford Universtiy Press, 1999—Older kids might enjoy this look at the Ancient Greek Olympics.

· How to be an Anicent Greek Athlete, written by Jaqueline Morley and illustrate by Dave Antram, National Geographic, 2008—Using mostly illustrations and some photos this book gives a great overview of the various events the ancient Greek Athletes participated in.

· The Original Olympics, by Stewart Ross, Wayland, 1996—Featuring lots of photographs of ancient relics this book would appeal to older kids who are interested in the ancient Greeks.

· Sports Heroes of Ancient Greece, by Paul Mason, Crabtree Publishing Company, 2011—This is a great book for different ages of children and a good overview of the Ancient Greek Olympics , events, heroes, and time.

· You Wouldn’t want to be a Greek Athlete: Races you’d Rather Not Run, written by Michael Ford and illustrated by David Antram, Franklin watts, 2004—My eldest loves this series of books with their humorous illustrations and interesting facts.

CRAFTS:

OLYMPIC RINGS PRINTS:

NOTE: For information about the Olympic Rings check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_rings#Olympic_rings

Materials: Blue paint, black paint, red paint, yellow paint and green paint, paint brushes (Optional), wax paper, white paper, a clean glass jar, paper to cover your work area, an art smock or old clothes to wear when painting, paper towel.

Step 1: Use a piece of wax paper as a paint pallet and put a blob of each colour of paint on the paper.

Step 2: Using either a paintbrush or just by dipping the jar, covered the edge of the jar with one of the Olympic colours. Then press the jar gently down on the white paper. The Olympic rings have three rings at the top and two at the bottom. We started with blue paint, then wiped the paint off with a paper towel before painting the rim black, followed by red and then yellow and lastly green.

VARIATION 1: We used this same technique to decorate our journal page since I couldn’t find any Olympic stickers. We used the lid of a water bottle and dip the edges in the paint and then gently pressed the lid in the Olympic Rings order to stamp the design onto our journal page.

VARIATION 2: If you use fabric paint you can do the same Olympic Rings pattern on plain T-shirts (purchased for cheap at a craft store). I will add a photo of this after we make the craft on Opening Day!

OLYMPIC TORCH:

NOTE: The Olympic Flame is a symbol of the Olympic games and is kept burning throughout the games. For information on the Olympic Flame check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_torch#Torches

Materials: Empty paper towel roll, paper cup, tin foil, coloured tissue paper (we used yellow, orange, red and a golden colour), child safe scissors, clear packing tape.

Step 1: Tape a paper cup onto the end of a paper towel roll. Make sure the cup is open at the top.

Step 2: Cover the paper roll with tin foil, bending the foil to stay in place and then taping it at the seams. Then cover the cup with another piece of tin foil, again bending the foil to stay in place and then taping any seams. Make sure the cup is still open (covered or not covered in foil).

Step 3: Cut each piece of coloured tissue paper in half (optional but because we used four different colours and hence four pieces of tissue paper that helped cut down the size) and then pinch each piece in the middle, gently fluffing the upward tissue paper to make a flame like appearance. Tape each colour of tissue paper together at the pinched middle to create a bouquet of sorts.

Step 4: fold a piece of packing tape with the sticky side out until it makes a double sided piece of tape. Stick the tape to the bottom of the cup and then press the pinched end of the flame bouquet into the sticky tape to stay in place!

PAPER LAUREL WREATH CROWN:

NOTE: The Laurel Wreath was used in ancient Greece to award the victors of the Olympic games. Make this craft to award your little athletes! For information on the use of laurel wreaths check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laurel_wreath

Materials: Green paper, glue stick, child safe scissors.

Step 1: Cut out a number of thick strips from the green paper. We used 14 strips.

Step 2: Hold a group of strips together and then carefully cut one end of the strips to create a pointed leaf shape at the end (you could do this individually but holding the paper together saves time and makes the leave shape more identical).

Step 3: Apply some glue to the flat end (not the cut leaf end) of one strip of green paper and press another slip of green paper to about midway up the second strip. You only want to glue the middle of the second strip down as you want the leaf cut end to stick out. Press and hold until it sticks (my son learned in Kindergarten to count to ten when using glue sticks to ensure the glue dries so he happily did so with each application).

Step 4: Now apply glue from the glue stick to the top of the second strip at the flat end. Take a third green strip and glue its middle to the second strip, again ensuring the leaf end is not stuck and that it curls outward.

Step 5: Continue this pattern adding one strip at a time until you think it is long enough to fit your child’s head. Measure to be sure by pinching the long glued strip together and resting it on top of your child’s head. If it is too short add more strips; if it is the right length then glue both ends together.

Step 6: Let it dry and then place on your proud athletes head!

GOLD MEDALS:

NOTE: This craft only creates gold medals. I have some competitive boys and thought they both deserved gold for their efforts! For information about the history of Olympic medals check here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Olympic_medals

Materials: Jar lids, golden yellow paint, gold glitter paint, ribbon, metal tabs from the top of soda pop cans, sharp scissors (adult use only), glue gun (adult use only), paint clothes or art smock, paper towels for clean up and newspaper to cover work space.

NOTE: This craft can be made in many ways and even simpler than I have done. For instance, you can simply used cardboard or construction paper instead of a jar lid and can hole punch a place for the ribbon to slide through. I don’t generally like to create crafts for this web site that use materials most families don't have on hand. For instance, most families won’t have a glue gun (although you can buy one at a craft store or a dollar store for cheap if you are interested). I tried to make this craft without the glue gun and found that it would have worked with white glue and tape but was not as sturdy. I opted for the glue gun and the pop tabs to make the medals longer lasting.

Step 1: Have your kids paint the jar lids using the golden yellow paint and then allow them to dry.

Step 2: Once the lids are dry let your children paint the lids with the gold glitter paint (glitter glue would work as would white glue and dry glitter) if you desire. You could just leave them yellow or golden yellow without the glitter.

Step 3: (Parent step) Take each tab (one per medal) and press it in the middle to slightly bend it.

Step 4: Cut the ribbon to an appropriate length to fit over your child’s head. Loop each piece of ribbon through a pop can tab (through the smaller end, near the part where it was ripped off the pop can).

Step 5: (Adult step) Once the paint has dried on the lids turn each lid over and carefully apply a large blob of hot glue from the glue gun to the back of the lid. Carefully place the pop tab into the hot glue burying the end of the tab that the ribbon is not threaded through into the glue. Warning: the glue is very very hot so do this step without kids around and please be careful! You can look at the photo of the medals on the right to see one of the lids flipped over.

Step 6: Once every ribbon is glued to the jar lid let them dry and once the hot glue has dried you will have a sturdy medal to award your children. We made four because we plan to have a Backyard Olympic party with some family friends on the day of the Opening Ceremonies of the 2012 London Olympics and I will award all the children with the ribbons at the end of the party!

WORLD FLAG GARLAND:

NOTE: My boys really liked this craft! More than I expected. They made the flags over a number of days and would just continually add to the garland off and on. For pictures of the different flags of the world check here : http://www.flags.net/

Materials: White paper, yarn and pins or tape, crayons, a book or flags or your computer linked to the website above to view the different flags of the world , (It is also useful to have a list of countries attending the Olympics as well. We checked here: http://wiki.answers.com/Q/What_countries_will_be_competing_in_the_2012_Olympics).

Step 1: We used standard white paper from our computer’s printer. Fold the white paper in half and then cut in half. Fold each piece in half again to create the “card” that will slip onto the yarn to create the garland.

Step 2: Have your kids look at the pictures of the flags and then decide which ones they want to draw and colour.

Step 3: Pin or tape the yarn or string on a wall or over a window as we did.

Step 4: Drape each flag picture over the yarn so the fold is on the yarn and the picture is facing outwards. We wrote the name of each country inside the flag card.

Step 5: If they slip down the line a bit use some tape to keep them in place.

PIPE CLEANER ATHLETES:

Materials: Pipe cleaners, clay, sharp scissors (adult use only), popsicle sticks (optional), sports stickers (Optional), any other craft supplies your child can think of that may be useful, a copy of Olympic events (we just used the Difficult Word Search from above as our reference).

Step 1: (You may have to create the pipe cleaner athletes yourself for smaller children). Twist a pipe cleaner to create a head shape.

Step 2: Cut off some of the bottom of the pipe cleaner (not the head side) and use that as the arms. Twist onto the cut pipe cleaner.

Step 3: For taller athletes cut out a piece of pipe cleaner of the same colour to twist onto your original pipe cleaner as a leg. For smaller athletes you can just trim off a bit more of pipe cleaner from the original pipe cleaner and then twist on as a leg using the end of the original pipe cleaner as the other leg.

Step 4: Let your child choose the sport he/she wants to represent and then come up with a creative way to make the pipe cleaner athlete perform the sport. We used clay to help the “athletes” stand. We used a soccer ball sticker to create a football player, a popsicle stick to create a balance beam for a gymnast, we folded blue paper to create waves for our swimmer, and coloured some paper brown and added black lines to create a race track for our runners. Just use your family’s imagination to create different athletes!

OLYMPIC RINGS CENTREPIECE:

Materials: empty paper towel roll, sharp scissors (adult use), paint in Olympic colours (blue, black, red, yellow and green), clear tape or white glue.

Step 1: (Parent step) Cut the paper roll into 5 rings.

Step 2: Have your child paint each ring a different colour (blue, black, red, yellow and green) and then set them aside to dry.

Step 3: once the paint is dry roll small pieces of tape to create double sided-tape and tape the rings together to form the Olympic Ring pattern. This is not very sturdy but would work if your child is impatient and wants the craft done! If you want it to last a bit longer used white glue and rest the craft on its side to dry.

SPORTS BOTTLE:

NOTE: Water is the most important nutrient for life but sometimes it is hard to get kids to drink it but maybe, just maybe, a bright and fun water bottle will encourage more sugar free hydration. Use this craft to highlight water’s importance by telling your kids about the value of water and focusing on how athletes sweat and need to replenish the water in their bodies.

Materials: Plastic water bottle (we found ours at Walmart), foam stickers, permanent markers.

Step 1: Set out the craft supplies and plastic bottles and let your child decorate however he/she wants!

FOOD:

Teach your young athletes about not only the foods necessary for health but also which foods to avoid. Tell your kids that Olympic athletes try to steer clear of soft drinks, fat filled pastries, sugared cereals, processed grains (like those found in white bread), and potato chips, to name but a few.

SNACK:

Sports Smoothie Supreme:

Ingredients: yogurt (any flavour but vanilla works best with the flavour profile here), honey or banana or both (for sweetness), a protein (we used peanut butter but almond or another nut butter would work as well, or for those with nut allergies try silken tofu), milk (any type...cows, almond, soy), ice (Optional but it does make it cool and refreshing), a handful of oats, a dash or cinnamon.

Steps: I don’t generally measure when I make a smoothie, I usually just guess pour and adjust as needed depending on how many people I am serving. Add the ingredients and mix in a blender and then taste to see what else it needs. For a thicker smoothie add more yogurt, for a smoother texture add more milk.

NOTE: Why is this a “Sports Smoothie Supreme”? Athletes need protein to repair and rebuild muscles that have been broken down due to sports activities. The nut butter (or tofu for those with allergies), yogurt and milk all provide protein. The oats provide B vitamins which give an energy boost and oats provide fiber which slows sugar absorption and maintains energy levels.

Energy Balls: I love to make little bite sized protein goodies for my boys for after school. I get most of my recipes from http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/ (she does not call them energy balls but you can find them on her website under “Snackety Snacks” and then under “Bars”). For our Theme Day I made her no bake Peanut Butter Cookie Dough Cookies: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2011/08/24/peanut-butter-cookie-dough-cookies/ and also her Cashew Cookie Larabars: http://chocolatecoveredkatie.com/2009/11/08/homemade-cashew-cookie-larabars/ and simply rolled them into balls. My kids gobble these down without blinking, whereas if I set a bowl down with raisins, dates and nuts in them they wouldn’t touch the food at all.

NOTE: Why are these “energy balls”? The dates and raisins provide natural sugars (plus other good vitamins) and the nuts provide protein.

LUNCH:

Super Salad for Sports Stars:

NOTE: Least you think I have some freakish kids who adore spinach and salads in general, let me assure you they do not! I got them to eat this lunch primarily by advocating the sports benefits (see the note after the recipe). I often appeal to my eldest son’s intellect when trying to convince him to eat better foods since he is my science boy. My youngest likes yogurt so I hoped by coating the salad in a thick yogurt dressing he’d eat it. The verdict: My eldest ate it all and thought it was good. My littlest protested my insistence that he eat blueberries (which he hates) by only eating two of those and then eating just the egg and the oranges (which he loves). Oh well, I tried!

Ingredients: Baby spinach, mandarin oranges, blueberries, hard boiled egg, low-fat Greek yogurt, chives or spring onions, fresh or dried dill, garlic powder, Dijon mustard, lemon juice.

Step 1: For each person put some cleaned baby spinach in a bowl.

Step 2: Top with mandarin orange segments and blueberries.

Step 3: Slice the hard boiled egg and put some slices on each persons salad.

Step 4: Make the dressing by whisking the yogurt with a bit of lemon juice to make it the consistency you would like (ours wasn’t very runny). Add chopped chives and dill, a dash or garlic powder to taste, and a squirt of Dijon mustard. Put some dressing on top of each salad.

NOTE: Why is this a “Super Salad”? Spinach is a good source of vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, vitamin K, Magnesium and has antioxidants. It is a great source of iron which helps build hemoglobin which carries oxygen throughout the body. Oranges are a natural sugar which can give an energy boost to athletes and of course have vitamin C to keep colds at bay. Blueberries have fibre, vitamin C and antioxidants and the blue in blueberries has been said to improve memory, balance and coordination which would be handy in the Olympics. Hard boiled eggs have a lot of vitamins (A,D,E and B12), plus iron and folate among other things. They also provide protein which is important for muscle repair in athletes. And finally, low fat yogurt is loaded with calcium which is important to sports stars bones and is rich in vitamin B12. It is also said to prevent fatigue and is considered a great recovery food for athletes because it promotes glycogen replenishment and muscle recovery.

DINNER:

Power Pasta: Make some whole wheat pasta (your child’s favourite shape or type) and serve it with your child’s favourite sauce and a protein.

NOTE: Why is this “power pasta”? Whole Wheat Pasta provides energy-rich carbohydrates and fibre, perfect to prep your little athlete for some active Olympic fun.

DESSERT:

Olympic Rings Cookies: Make some sugar or butter cookies and using two circle cookie cutters cut out a large circle and then cut a smaller circle out of the larger one to create rings. Be sure to colour them using Olympic coloured icing (red, green, black, yellow and blue). If you don’t have circle cookie cutters you can reuse two different sized cans (like a tomato paste can and a soup can) just clean the cans out and press into the dough as you could a proper cookie cutter!

Olympic Cupcakes: Make some regular cupcakes and ice them with white frosting then press in five M&M’s (red, green, black, yellow and blue) in the Olympic Rings Pattern. If you are making these ahead of time DO NOT put the M&Ms on in advance. If you do the colours will bleed over time so I suggest just icing them and then before dessert or your party decorate with the coloured chocolates.

LEARNING ACTIVITIES:

OLYMPIC MOTO POSTER:

The Olympic Moto is “Citius, Altius, Fortius “ which is Latin for "Faster, Higher, Stronger". Have your child make an Olympic Poster using this Moto. We decided to write the moto using white crayons on white paper and then painted over with the Olympic rings colours. Have your child press and use a lot of white crayon. We found that only some parts of the white crayon showed through the watercolours and ended up painting with regular white paint over some of the letters so it was readable.

OLYMPIC TALLY CHART:

Print out my Olympic Tally Chart (you can either print one out for the family or one for each individual) and together as a family decide on which countries you want to focus on for your chart. Find the flag for the countries you are watching and either have your kids draw their own rendition of the flag or print out the image from the computer. As a family check the newspaper or online to see the progress of your chosen countries each day (it is fun to check in the morning and in the evening) and update your tally chart by marking off if those countries have received any gold, silver or bronze medals!

NOTE: Check here for the different flags of the world: http://www.flags.net/

OLYMPIC SPORTS COMPARISON:

Print out a copy of my Olympic Sports: Team vs Individual Chart and together as a family when you are reading about the Olympics or watching the Olympics on Television fill in the chart.

OLYMPIC MOMENT PRINTABLE :

When the Olympics games are over (perhaps during the closing ceremony) print out a copy of my Olympic Moment Printable and have your child either write about or draw a picture of an Olympic Moment they witnessed during this year’s Olympics.

WEBSITES:

For the official Olympic site check here: http://www.olympic.org/

For the 2014 Games in Sochi click here: http://www.sochi2014.com/en/

For the 2016 Games in Rio click here: http://www.rio2016.org/en/home

FOR FUN:

OLYMPICS BINGO:

Print out some of my Olympic Bingo Sheets and have your kids use them throughout the Olympics whenever they are watching an event. Make it a challenge to see how many of the squares your kids can fill in.

OUTDOOR GAMES:

Host your own silly Olympics. Print out either a Backyard Winter Olympics Checklist or a Backyard Summer Olympics Checklist and create your own events. Have your kids and their friends check off each event when complete to win!

ONLINE GAMES:

The London 2012 website has a few online games for kids under the heading Mascots: https://mascot-games.london2012.com/

JOKES:

Q: What do runners do when they become forgetful?

A: They job their memory.

Q: What runs around a sports field but doesn’t move?

A: A fence.

Q: Why did the athlete bring string to the game?

A: So he could tie the score.

Q: Why is it so hot after an Olympic event is over?

A: because all the fans have gone.

EXTENDED ACTIVITIES:

AUDIO VISUAL:

Search through your child’s DVD/ video collection (or visit your local library before hand or the Video Store) to find your child’s favourite shows with an Olympic theme and of course if this is an Olympic year (and I am guessing it is if you are having an Olympic Theme Day) then be sure to watch some sporting events on television together!

Here are some titles to consider:

· Wow! Wow! Wubbzy: Go For Gold, Bolder media, 2010 – featuring Michelle Kwan and Tiki barber.

· Discover the Summer Olympics with Cecile & Pepo, KM International Consultants Ltd.—this DVD offers simple computer animation and read Olympic footage about fencing, aquatics, running, rowing and other summer Olympic sports in either English or Spanish.

· Discover the Winter Olympics with Cecile & Pepo, KM International Consultants Ltd.—this DVD offers simple computer animation and read Olympic footage about ski jumping, bobsled, figure skating,, speed skating and other winter Olympic sports in either English or Spanish.

Older kids may enjoy some of these movies about Olympians (I have not seen all of these and cannot vouch for their child appropriateness souse your own discretion):

Cool Runnings—this is based on the true story of the Jamaican Bobsled team

Running Brave— based on the true story of Billy Mills.

Miracle—based on the 1980 US Men’s Olympic Hockey team

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES:

Host Your Own Neighbourhood or Family Olympics: Have your children make a list of some simple events that they can compete in outside.

Backyard Obstacle Course: Make an outdoor obstacle course for your kids in your backyard using lawn chairs, outdoor toys, skilling ropes etc. and then time your kids as they race through the course according to your directions. This can also be done in the winter but by making a snow obstacle course. Don’t have the kids compete against each other if you know fights will break out but instead have them compete against themselves and try to beat their personal best.

Playground Obstacle Course: Come up with a series of tasks to complete at a playground (limb over there, slide down there, swing across that etc.) and then time your kids to see how fast they can accomplish the tasks. Don’t have the kids compete against each other if you know fights will break out but instead have them compete against themselves and try to beat their personal best.

NOTE: If you do any of the previous activities you may want to print out my Backyard Olympics Printable and fill in some simple events for your children to complete. Give each child a copy of the Printable and then after each event is completed he/she can check the space. Once all the events are complete hand out the gold medals you made (Crafts Above).