Summer Olympics Day 2 -Modern Olympics

Modern Olymics

Read:  page 17-32 in Olympics by Dennis B. Fradin

Discuss: The International Olympic Committee was founded in 1894 and the first modern Olympics were held two years later in 1896 in Athens, Greece. The Olympic Games is a major sporting event where thousands of athletes from all over the world compete. There are two variants of this international sporting event - Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics, each of which is held every two rotating years. The motto of the Olympic games is Citius, Altius, Fortius, which is Latin for 'Faster, Higher, Stronger'. It encourages the athletes to do their best, and show good sportsmanship. There are 302 medal events (162 men’s, 132 women’s, 8 mixed). London becomes the first city to stage the Olympic Games three times (1908, 1948 and 2012). London is the biggest city in Britain and Europe. (Find England and then London on a map).

Comprehension Questions:

1. What year were the first modern Olympic Games? 1896
2. Where were the first modern Olympic Games held? Athens, Greece
3. What city are the Olympic Games this year? London, England

London Weather

We used London Weather on page 1 of this download to help us chart the weather in London.

 

2012 Summer Olympic Dates & Location

We used the 2012 Summer Olympic Dates & Location printout on pages 27 & 29 of this download.

 

Participating Countries

Materials:

• Globe
• Pencil
• Paper

Directions:

1. List and locate all of the participating countries in the 2012 Olympics.

Events Worksheet

We used the Events Worksheet pages 2-3 to review the host cities of past Olympic Games.

 

Olympic Rings Artwork

Discuss: The Olympic Rings are five interlocking rings that stand for the five original continents, (Africa, the Americas, Asia, Australia, and Europe) and the athletes from around the world. The colors of the rings are blue, yellow, black, green, and red. They were chosen because at least one of these colors is found on the flag of every nation. The Olympic Rings appears on the Olympic flag. At the Olympic Games, the flag is brought into the stadium during the opening ceremony. After its arrival, the flag is hoisted up the flagpole. It must fly in the stadium during the whole of the Olympic Games. When the flag is lowered at the closing ceremony, it signals the end of the Games.

Materials:

• Paint (Blue, Yellow, Black, Green, Red)
• 5 plastic cups
• Paper plates
• Printing paper

Directions:

1. Put one color of paint on each paper plate.
2. Dip the rim of your cup in the paint color that you want. (blue, black, red, yellow, then green)  We used a cut up paper towel tube instead.
3. Stamp the cup rim onto the paper.
4. Put the next color overlapping the first a bit... and so on.

The Olympic Rings

We used this free printout of The Olympic Rings to review what the rings meant.

Olympic Rings Fruit Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 ½ cup white sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon baking soda

Directions:

1. In a bowl cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat until smooth.
2. In a medium bowl combine flour, baking powder and baking soda. Add dry ingredients to the creamed mixture. Stir till soft dough forms.
3. Place waxed paper over a 15-in. x 10-in. baking sheet without sides. Shape dough into a flattened rectangle and place on prepared baking sheet. Cover dough with waxed paper; roll dough to within 1/4 in. of edges of baking sheet. Remove top sheet of waxed paper; invert dough onto another greased baking sheet. Remove remaining waxed paper.
4. Using a 4-1/2-in. diameter plate or bowl and a knife, trace three touching circles along a long side of the dough. Trace two more circles centered below and overlapping upper circles by 1 in. Cut around outer edges of the rings; remove dough around rings and use to make cookies if desired. Bake rings at 350° for 14-16 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.
5. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese and marshmallow cream until smooth. Transfer cooled crust to a serving platter. Spread with frosting. On top rings, from left to right, place blueberries, blackberries and strawberries. Place pineapple and kiwi on lower rings. Store in the refrigerator.

 2012 Summer Olympics Torch Relay

Read the 2012 Summer Olympics Torch Relay on page 30 of this download to learn about how the torch is carried from Greece to the host country.  Then we watched the torch lighting the Olympic Cauldron in the opening ceremony.

  

Olympic Torch

Discuss: In memory of the Olympic Games’ origins, the flame is lit in Olympia, Greece, some months before the opening of the Games. The Olympic flame can only be lit by the sun’s rays. The torch is carried by relay from Olympia to the host city of the Games. The day of the opening of the Games, the flame enters the stadium. With the lighting of the cauldron by the last relay runner the flame is transferred from the torch to the place where it will continue to burn for the entire length of the Olympic Games. The flame is extinguished on the final day of the Games at the closing ceremony.

Materials:

• Paper towel roll
• Tin foil
• Red and orange tissue paper
• Scissors
• Glue

Directions:

1. Cut the paper towel roll in half.
2. Glue tin foil onto the paper towel roll.
   
   
3. Glue crumpled tissue paper to the inside of the paper towel roll, sticking out like flames.

Torch Run Maze

I printed out the Torch Run Maze printout for J to have a fun maze to do.

 

Olympics Acrostic

We used the free Olympics Acrostic printout to write some words that have have to do with the Olympics.

 

Olympic Torch Snack

Materials:

• Construction paper
• Stapler
• Cheetos

Directions:

1. Cut paper into a 6x5 inch piece.
2. Pull the opposite corners toward each other.
3. Staple the edges.
   
4. Add Cheetos.

Symbols and Traditions

I printed out page 12 of this free download for J to review the Symbols and Traditions about the Olympics that we have learned so far.