The Winter Games are approaching! On February 4th, 2022 the Olympics will begin in Beijing. Since it only comes every four years, the Olympics are such an exciting time. Getting together with friends and family to root for your team is so exciting for adults and kids alike!
Older elementary students are at the age where they can start to understand the significance and really appreciate how cool the Olympics are. That makes it the perfect time to introduce it in the classroom.
I usually start with having a discussion about the Winter Olympics and see what students already know or don’t know about it. After identifying the background knowledge that they already have, I fill in any gaps by teaching the history, showing video clips from winter games in the past, and even reading some books about it.
After that, I like to incorporate the Winter Olympics into our classroom activities throughout the duration of the Olympics.
My favorite way to do that is with my Winter Games STEM activities.
This bundle has 4 of my favorite STEM challenges that tie in perfectly with the Winter Olympics. Students will plan, design, and engineer 4 different STEM challenges.
Included you’ll get:
- Winter Ski STEM Challenge
- Winter Skating STEM Challenge
- Winter Bobsledding STEM Challene
- Winter Curling STEM challenges
Students will also get to design a platform for their ice skater, speed skater, skier, or bobsled.
These activities are great because you can use them during your regular STEM time, but they are also great for STEM soft starts, indoor recess, or after-school activities. They can even be done from home while distance learning! They cover the Next Generation Science 3-5-ETS1-1 & 2.
What are your favorite ways to teach about the winter games? Let me know in the comments!
Great Books that connect to Winter Olympics