Olympic Crafts

Junior loves the Olympics so I am working them into his school lessons and trying to find lots of Olympic crafts.  He learns best with a multi sensory approach so I look for that in our crafts as well.

Two years ago during the summer Olympics we did this Olympic rings craft and Junior liked it so much that we did it again this year.  For directions click HERE .  He also learned about the rings, where they came from, their meaning, etc.

Yesterday we also learned about the Olympic torch.  Junior thought it was so cool to go online and look at pictures of the torch as it went around the world.
We decided to make our own torch from a few things in our craft cupboard.
A cardboard tube, paper circle made from card stock, brown construction paper, and crate paper were used along with a silver crayon.
I did not get step by step pictures but I think it is pretty simple to figure out with just the finished pictures and a description.
We cut a circle out of card stock and colored one side with the silver crayon.  We then cut a hole in the center so it could slide over the cardboard tube.  We then wrapped the brown construction paper around the tube and taped it in place. Our last step was to take red, orange, and yellow crate paper strips and stuff the ends into the top of the cardboard tube.  I made the strips quite long and stuffed quite a bit into the tube so there was no need for glue or tape to attach them.
This picture has the supplies used for both the rings craft and torch.  

  

Junior's finished torch(we wrinkled the crate paper to make it look more like flames)

 

 

I have been on the hunt for more Olympic craft ideas to use with our school lessons and found some great ones on pintrest.
This next idea came from a Pintrest  link(clicking the highlighted word will go directly to the post about this craft) though we made some changes to make it work for Junior.  He loves the snowboarding and thinks the skiing is pretty neat as well so his own mini ski slope is just perfect.  Junior is having a rough day so this has not been completed but I will go ahead and share about it anyway.  

Our version of the ski slope is smaller and we also covered it completely in white paper.  I also used quite a bit of duck tape to be sure everything was secure so that when Junior plays with it he won't tear or bend it when he stiffens his arms.
 Supplies: 2 small boxes(1 I took apart and flattened), duck tape, white paper(we used poster board), scissors, glue, Popsicle sticks(we used 2 sizes), cotton balls, and a couple small figures(for Junior that would be Spider-man and Iron-man).
 1 of the boxes flattened and placed over the other box.  I folded down the sides and back and used duck tape to secure them in place(this had not yet been done in this pic). 

 Adding the poster board.  I secured mine around the entire box and used clear tape to hold it in place in areas that would be seen.  This is something I just had to play with to get it right.

 The ski slope ready for Junior to complete.  He will be adding "snow"(cotton balls) to the surface and using markers to decorate the skis and snowboards. We attached the figures to the skis with a tiny bit of putty but you could also just use a small strip of tape.  When Junior is working on this we will be discussing snow, speed, temperature, etc. and will also bring out some insta snow which has been in the freezer so he can feel how cold real snow is.

  2/13/14:  Junior finished his ski slope today and loves it.  Here is Spidey snowboarding down the finished slope.

 We also decorated the snowboard

Another one of Junior's favorite winter Olympic sports is hockey.  I thought it would be fun to make a mini ice hockey rink for him to play with.  We will be talking about the different forms of liquid as well as some of what we talked about with the ski slope.  I am thinking we will use Popsicle sticks for hockey sticks and I will have to hunt through our craft cabinet to find an appropriate puck.

For our mini rink I cut a piece of clear cling on window film(the type used to make window clings) cut to the size of a small tub.  I then looked online to find pictures of the Olympic hockey rink in Sochi to guide how I added designs.  It is far from perfect and I didn't add near what theirs has but it will give Junior a good idea and of course be lots of fun.

Permanent markers were used for the drawing so they wouldn't just wipe off.  As you can see I ended up way off center with the Olympic rings but oh well.  

 Back peeled off and window cling placed in the bottom of the container.

 Filled with a few inches of water.  The window cling tried to float up a little when I was adding water but once I pushed it to the bottom it stayed in place.  Junior's mini ice rink is currently in the freezer but I will add updated pictures once it is frozen and of Junior using it.

Updated pictures after the rink was frozen.  I think we are going to remake this with thinner ice so the writing shows through clearer.  Tomorrow we are planning to make some mini hockey sticks. 

We will also be making medals at some point and I am on the hunt for more Olympic crafts/ideas for him.  Junior is loving all this and I think I am having nearly as much fun as he is(if not more).