We LOVE watching the Olympics and doing as much learning during this time as possible! Delight directed learning at its best. Over the years we’ve done unit studies each time there is a new Olympics session…so of course, with the Winter Olympics coming up, I started collecting ideas again.
This year, our ancient history studies were going to bring us to Ancient Greece in early March. So, being the ultimate unit study mom that I am, I decided to move UP our ancient Greece study to January…and then just pick back up where we left after that is finished. Learning about Ancient Greece along with the Olympics?? Win-Win!! History and FUN all woven together. That is why I love homeschooling. 
{For those following along as we use Winter Promise this year, studying Ancient Greece will be weeks 25-27 in our Quest for the Ancient World, Winter Promise curriculum.}
Along with Ancient Greece, there is a great opportunity to learn about Russia this year, the country that is hosting the Olympics. I have included some links for Russia learning as well.
Favorite Activities To Learn More About the Olympics
- Have your own Wii Olympic games
- Make an Olympic CAKE or FRUIT PIZZA (like pictured above) Use colored m&m’s for a cake or use fruit on a sugar cookie with frosting for a fruit pizza!
- Watch as much of the Olympics as you can! Cheer on your country’s teams!
- Study the origin of the Olympics with this FREE study on Ancient Greece from HSS
- Study this athlete from history, Wilma Rudolph, the first woman to win 3 Olympic gold medals (free study from HSS)
- Enchanted Learning Olympic pages
- Winter Olympic printable worksheets
- Choose a few of the Winter Olympic sports to learn more about
- Simple Plastic Cup & Paint Olympic Rings Craft
- Olympic bagel snacks AND Olympic ring countdown chain
Learn about Russia
- FREE Russia unit study & lap book from HSS
- Another unit study on a book based in Russia from HSS
- Julie shares some fabulous ideas for learning about Russia (check out the chalk pastel art projects!! love them!)
- Find a few books from the library on Russia and learn more about this country and the culture
- Russian Teacake Cookie recipe
Scripture Memory & Copy Work
- “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” Philippians 4:13
- “Therefore since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with endurance the race marked out for us.” Hebrews 12:1
- “Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.” 1 Corinthians 9:24-25
- “I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 3:12-14
Books & Movies Pertaining to the Olympics & Russia
- G is for Gold Medal: An Olympics Alphabet
- Hour of the Olympics (Magic Tree House #16)
- The Story of the Olympics (Usborne Young Reading Series)
- The Winter Olympics
- Figure Skating (Winter Olympic Sports)
- Wilma Rudolph: Olympic Runner (Childhood of Famous Americans)
Olympics
- Snowboard (Winter Olympic Sports)
- Russia ABCs: A Book About the People and Places of Russia (Country ABCs)
- Look What Came from Russia
- Russia (Country Explorers)
- Eyewitness: Russia (Eyewitness Books)
Books Pertaining to Ancient Greece
- D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths
- DK Readers: Greek Myths
- Greek Myths for Young Children (Stories for Young Children)
- Explore Ancient Greece!: 25 Great Projects, Activities, Experiments (Explore Your World)
(book we will be using for fun, HANDS-ON learning ideas)
- Tales from the Odyssey, Part 1
- Tales from the Odyssey, Part 2
- Ancient Greece: An Interactive History Adventure (You Choose: Historical Eras)
- Magic Tree House Fact Tracker #10: Ancient Greece and the Olympics: A Nonfiction Companion to Magic Tree House #16: Hour of the Olympics
- Ancient Greece Discovery Kit (Dover Fun Kits)
(book we will be using for fun, HANDS-ON learning ideas)
Winter Olympic Art
I just found out that Tricia, of Hodgepodge Mom, has Winter Olympics Chalk Pastel art!! Look at all the Simple Starts to Chalk Pastels to find the Winter Olympics set as well as many others!Woo-hoo! You can see several of our art projects with her FREE tutorials on my Teaching Art {With the Help of Pinterest} series! (Click on any of the chalk pastel lessons and you will see that we used her tutorials each time!)
Click on the graphic below to visit the Winter Olympic Chalk Pastel page. This set is $4.99!
Here is our full review & more pictures of my family using these Chalk Pastel Tutorials!!
If you’re still wanting more ideas…come check out this Olympic pinterest board with tons of ideas as well as my ancient history board.
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