Brainstorm in Bloom: Summer Olympics (Bouquet Event)

Wednesday, August 1, 2012

Summer Olympics (Bouquet Event)

With the Summer 2012 Olympics underway we just had to have an
Olympic Party!

Here are a few ideas for a
Summer Olympic Event for
Sprouts, Seedlings and those Blooming (toddler/preschool, elementary age, and beyond!)...

We started out by making our Olympic Rings T-shirts so that they would have time to dry and then of course with an Opening Ceremony of playing an impromptu “Pass the Torch” game similar to “Duck Duck Goose” and reading G if for Gold Medal. Then the games were full speed ahead!

Olympic Ring T-Shirts CRAFT

The Stuff	The Prep	The FUN!
White t-shirts Red, Black, Blue, Yellow and Green Fabric paint Paper towel tubes Disposable Plate for the paint (Fabric paint is much harder to clean than other paint which I unfortunately found out after scrubbing my muffin tins that I used for paint ~ I recommend using a disposable plate)	Cut the paper towel tubes in half Put paint on plate	1. Show the kids a picture of the Olympic rings as a guide and have them start with the black ring in the top middle. Dip paper towel tube end in the paint and place on the t-shirt. 2. Repeat for all of the colors/rings. Let dry.

Opening Ceremonies

The Stuff	The Prep	The FUN!
Paper towel tube Tin foil Red, yellow and orange tissue paper Stapler G is for Gold Medal by Brad Herzog	Make torch ~You can find instructions at I Can Teach My Child... a fabulous blog! Check out G is for Gold Medal from your local library!	1. Discuss the Olympics with the kids and their favorite events. 2. Read G is for Gold Medal. 3. One kiddo starts with the torch and runs around the circle. They then pass it to a friend who does the same. Continue until everyone has had the torch and then display for the rest of the games.

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!

Balance Beam EVENT

The Stuff	The Prep	The FUN!
Scraps of wood (2x4’s)	Lay out the wood on the grass ~prop some up for more difficulty.	1. Kids walk along the balance beams!

Balloon Badminton EVENT

The Stuff	The Prep	The FUN!
Sturdy paper plates Paint sticks from home improvement store Glue (I used tacky glue) Balloons	Glue plate to paint stick and let dry. Blow up balloons	1. Kids hit the balloons up in the air. they can count how many times before it drops. they can also try hitting back and forth to a partner.

Straw Javelin EVENT
idea from Kid Activities

The Stuff	The Prep	The FUN!
4 Straws/javelin (if bendy ones, cut bendy part off) Tape Buckets	Insert ends of straws (4) into another to make long javelin. Add tape along seams.	1. Kids throw straw javelin into bucket.

Pool Noodle Hurdles EVENT
idea from I Can Teach My Child

The Stuff	The Prep	The FUN!
Bamboo skewers (or dowels) Pool noodles *we also turned on sprinklers!	Put bamboo skewers into ground at an angle. Put noodle hole over skewer.	1. Kids jump over the hurdles! *Parent supervision required as noodles sometimes come off of the skewers.

Water Balloon Basketball EVENT

The Stuff	The Prep	The FUN!
Water balloons Basketball net (or a tub/bucket)	Blow up water balloons. *They store/travel well if you add a little water to the bucket you have them in.	1. Kids grab a water balloon and shoot it in the basket. *we had our bucket of water balloons a ways from the basket so they had to run get them.

Jello Olympic Ring and
Bagel Gold Medal SNACK

The Stuff	The Prep	The FUN!
Jello (red, yellow, blue, green, purple) Black food color (add to purple jello when mixed with water) Cup to cut jello into circle Bagels Yarn or ribbon	Make jello jigglers (Add 2- 6 oz boxes of jello to 2 ½ cups boiling water and stir. Put in a 13 X9 pan and let cool in the fridge for 3ish hours). Cut jigglers into circles. Thread yarn/ribbon through hole of bagel.	1. Clap for kids as you present them each with a gold medal! 2. Give them a plate of Jello Olympic Rings. 3. Enjoy the Olympic snack!