On Friday, I spent the morning with 50 kiddos at a local preschool lighting the torch, running during the flag ceremony, throwing the discus, and completing it all with gold medals for everyone. Since we are just 18 days away from the Olympic Games in London, here are some easy and fun activities you can do to get the games going!
1. TORCH LIGHTING: Use a paper towel roll and balance an egg or small ball (the flame) on top from one point to the other.
2. FLAG CEREMONY: Use a scarf and walk/run around in a circle while holding the "flag" high to display it proudly! For fun hand-eye coordination games, toss and catch the "flag" on different parts of the body, such as the head, arms, or legs. For a challenge, try tossing, spinning, and then catching.
3. DISCUS TOSS: A fun fact to note is that this game dates all the way back to the Greek Olympics! Instead of using a heavy piece of metal, it was originally a stone throwing game based from hunting practices. And, in our version, it evolves even further to paper plates. Try taping two paper plates together and throw them like a frisbee. Or, purchase a dozen animal print frisbees from www.orientaltrading.com for $10.50.
4. TRACK AND FIELD: Set up a fun obstacle course with 5 hula-hoops to jump in, lines to jump over, tunnels to crawl through, and plenty of places to run! We used 5 different colored hula hoops to mirror the interlocking Olympic Rings (good time to pull out the world map and show them the 5 different continents that the rings represent... Africa, North & South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia)
5. GOLD MEDALS: What is sportsmanship? This is a great time to talk about it. From a kids perspective, it means giving your buddy a high-five or a handshake and saying good job! You can make your own medals with ribbon and paper or find them at a local dollar store.
For details on the 2012 Summer Olympics, and to read about all the games played, see below. http://www.nbcolympics.com/sports/index.html
READY SET GO!
Yvonne
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