The Winter Olympics in Torino , Italy , can be used successfully as an integrated P.E. project with your K- 6th
grade classes. It is important that you include not only the music and art itinerants , but also the classroom teachers.
In this way , there will be total involvement to encourage education of the whole child.By using homemade equipment along
with materials from the physical education curriculum will entice the students to explore P.E. outside the classroom and enhance
creativity , problem solving and a cultural understanding in the global community.Here are some ideas along with websites
that can be utilized:
Math= percentages, record keeeping, standings, etc.
Health = nutrition , workout schedules, etc.
The students can be involved more by placing them on the competing team countries and comparing individual and group
statistics . Each week take an
event or a series of competitive skills Try to improve a previous score or performance each week. The easiet
way is to place the students in station activities for optimum activity.
Winter Olympic Games
We have two grade levels participate together (example: a sixth grade class and a third grade class).
The students will be divided evenly onto 7 teams. Each team will represent a country. We made flags
and laminated them. Our countries were: Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Russia,
and the United States. A designated captain will carry the flag from event to event, and put it in the #ed cone. They
will be responsible for keeping score & having it recorded between events. Each station runs for 2 ñ 3 minutes
(depending on how much time it took to demonstrate and explain, and whether or not the classes arrived ON TIME!)
1. Ice Hockey Event
Equipment: Hockey Stick, 1 hockey goal (we use a folding mat set up in the shape of a goal), 1-2 hockey pucks, 1 large
starting spot, a "goalie" made from asst. equipment to block shots
The students will line up at the starting line. On "go" the first player will shoot at the goal before crossing
a line 10 feet away. A "goalie" will be made out of a large cone, bamboo pole, jersey, and helmet.
We duck tape a goalie stick to gloves on the cone. (It's a 48 inch cone that we have!) They
will retrieve the puck, and return it & the stick to the next player. Team receives one point for
each goal scored.
2. Downhill Ski Jump Event
Equipment: carpet skis, incline mat, trapezoid, landing mat, large poly spot
The students will line up at the starting line. On "go" the first player will run to the skis, pick them up
and carry them to the top of the ramp. They will ski down, then roll down the incline mat, then climb or vault
onto the trapezoid, and then jump and land on their feet on the crash mat. They may do a stunt (straddle jump,
tuck jump, 180, 360). Team receives one point for each person who landed on their feet.
3. Pairs Figure Skating Event
Equipment: 4 carpet squares, a deck ring, cone
Two students will get two carpet squares. The carpet squares are to serve as figure skates. The
students will hold (deck ring) hands and skate around the cone and back. The team scores a point for each person
that completes a turn. If you skate by yourself, you only get one point, if you skate in a pair, two points.
4. Two-man Bob-Sleigh Event
Equipment: 3 scooters duck taped, one blue folding mat, noodles or stacked mats for track borders, tape starting
lines.
The students will line up at the starting line. One rider will sit on the mat, the second may push and then
jump on the mat. When it gets to the opposite side (about 40 feet), the riders switch places, the person on the
front jumps off, and becomes the pusher. The team gets one point for each time thebobsleigh crosses
each line.
5. Biathlon Event
Equipment: carpet skis, sling shot, koosh ball, target, polyspot
The students will line up at the starting line. On "go" the first player will ski to the mat, lie down, shoot
at the target, and then carry the skis to the next player in line. Points are determined by distance & size
of target.
6. Skeleton Event
Equipment: large scooter, large polyspot, tape noodles to the wall & opposite side to form a boundary track.
Place a crash mat at the end in front of the bleachers to stop kids from crashing at the end if they don't brake themselves.
The students will line up at the starting line. On "go" the first player will carry the scooter up the ramp,
turn around at the door, and on the timer's signal may push off the doors and roll down the ramp to the finish line. They
should get off the scooter as soon as crossing the finish line, and run it to the next player. The team gets a
point for each player who safely crosses the finish line without falling off the scooter.
7. Curling (shuffleboard) Event
Equipment: We taped a large white "3" in the center red circle, a "2" in the blue circle, and we have a large gray circle
painted around the center - "1" point.
The students will line up at the starting line. On "go" the first player will push a puck toward the scoring
target. The target is a large circle in the center of the gym: red circle 3 points, blue circle 2,
and gray circle 1. Each player will take a turn, and then the points will be added together.
NOTES:
* I had 3 other adults to help supervise around the gym.
* I make a large scoreboard tabloid with the 7 countries across the top AND the 7 events across the side.
I laminate it so I can wash it off & use it with the next group. I always jot down the captains
name by the country.
* In between events, the whistle blows, kids sit down, I call the country, the captain calls out the number of points
earned, and I record it on the poster.
*End of the class, we jot scores down on identical sheets of paper & then total things up to announce from our tv
studio the next morning.
*At the end of each class, the team scores will be recorded, and every new session will feature another group of kids
representing each country. So kids don't fret about "who won" at their session, I emphasize that all of their
points are added later to the previous and the following sessions ñ that other students will represent their same country
as well.
* After the entire school has participated, all points for the 7 different countries are tallied, and the
top three countries will be announced; as well as the "medal winning countries for each event" - so
it worked out that just about every country ended up being first in SOMETHING!!.
*I had kids (while waiting their turn at one of the stations) sign the back of the flag, so that we will know who represented
all of the countries!
Lori Greiner
Smoketown Elementary School
Conestoga Valley School District
Lancaster Pennsylvania
