7 Ideas for Kids to Celebrate the 2016 Olympics

I don't know about you, but my kids are thrilled the 2016 Olympic Games have started!!  As a homeschool teacher, you always want to tap into the interests of your kids and expand upon them to create unique learning opportunities.  So why not do so with the Olympics this year??

1.  Schedule
Here are two printable schedules that we found and printed online.  Be sure to check out the tv listing one though for the actual times that the sports are broadcasted.  My kids have been so cute, first thing in the morning, running to the schedule to see what's playing for the day.

2.  Flag Banner
We printed these cute little table toppers, cut them out, folded them over and glued them onto a piece of yarn to make a nice banner.  There are only 16 flags, but they are most popular ones and definitely ones that are good for the kids to recognize and become familiar with.

3.  Torch Craft or Coloring Page
Gotta include the Torch, eh?  Pick which one is best for you and your crew - a simple coloring page or a 3D version of a hand holding a torch.  Both super cute!!  And if you have big kids too like me, you might want to offer this cool Origami Olympics Ring craft as well.  ;)

4.  Food and Snacks
Love this link and three of their ideas - Olympic Rings Pizza, Torch Snack, and a Gold Medal Dessert!  Sounds like a great family night and a fun themed meal already planned!!

5.  Build Lego Flags
If you have Lego fans in your house, then you gotta set them loose in building away little Lego flags.  Here are two examples I found online.  They might have to be creative with some symbols - like all the stars in the United States flag.  (my crew just taped on some white paper to add in that color since we didn't have white duplos)  See what they can come up with!  And, maybe their little imaginations will run wild and they'll build other creations related to the Olympics.

6.  Build Up Some Pride For Your Team/Country
Wear your red, white and blue clothes and your stars and stripes!!  Get out all those cute clothes that your kids wore for Fourth of July and have them wear them when they watch the Olympics.  Wash them, and then re-wear again!  Most likely, you'll be in the comfort of your own home, so you can wear the same outfit twice during the week, or even three times, four times!  ;)  Learn about the States where your favorite athletes are from.  Make a Flag Banner and Flag Legos for all the states (#2 and #5!).  And, if you don't know this song yet, watch and watch and watch until you are singing it by heart....

And a second song that I want my kids to work on and learn by heart is our National Anthem, since it's played whenever Team USA wins gold....

7.  Watch It Together
Seriously, this one is SO easy, yet SO hard.  Moms and Dads, sit down with your kids and watch it with them!  We have been doing this and even eating some dinners out in our living room (easy, non-messy finger foods, of course!).  This quality time is huge for kids - they love it.  And you will love the conversations that happen SO naturally when you watch it with them.

What are some fun things you are dong with your family to celebrate the Olympics this year? 
Please do share and comment below!  I'd love to hear from you!  :)

++God Bless Team USA and all the other participants in the 2016 Rio Olympics++

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To take part in or view more Seven Quick Takes, click on the image below....

My Baseball Stars

Last week ended our baseball season for the summer.  Our two middle boys, Max and Pookey, begged and begged to play baseball.  We ended up saying "yes" and giving it a try for them, just so they had that experience to play, if only for one season even.  They were blessed enough to have their uncle coach (for Max) and uncle and father coach (for Pookey) and both of them had a cousin on their team.  That made it extra fun for everyone - including ME since I got to sit and jabber with my sister while watching their games.

Of course, both boys LOVED it and want to play next year too.  We are not going to promise them though.  They'll get plenty of opportunity to play baseball around the yard.  Plus, we tend to choose sports that can include more siblings.  It's just easier for our family that way since we have some many young ones so close in age.

Here are some pictures from their wonderful season.

*** MAX on the Indian team ***

*** POOKEY on the Oriole team ***

++Thank you, God, for our time this summer at the ball diamond and fun with family while there!++

A 39th Birthday - Forever YOUNG

My awesome hubby had his first 39th birthday today.  During the schoolyear, we always take the kids' birthdays off and make it a vacation day.  Obviously in the summertime, we are off already.  But hub's birthday lands in the summer and he works regardless.  Not this year!!  He took a half-day vacation so we could celebrate!  We had a lovely lunch out to eat at a local restaurant, got to enjoy the scorching heat while hanging out down by the river, and then we got to celebrate by going GREEN...

Then we came home and had a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting from the best bakery in town.  And, if you are from this area you KNOW where I mean.  This was the first time we put the exact number of candles on for one of us parents.  So lucky Neil got to huff and puff blowing out all 39!  It was so much fun for all of us - the lighting ceremony and all!  Hopefully Neil and kids will forget and not remember in April when it's my birthday.  ;)

And, when you take 12 pictures of a group shot down by the river really hoping for a nice picture of your handsome husband and beautiful children and only one turns out somewhat presentable, you have to laugh at the outtakes.  Enjoy....

Neil pinching Mario's bum

Mario pinching Neil back

++Thank you, God for my husband and best friend!!  He loves us all so much and gives himself fully to us.  Please bless him abundantly this coming year, and help him feel your presence through all of us.++

Puppies!! Puppies!! Puppies!!

My youngest sister rocks!!  She's a momma to four kids eight and under and is so calm and collected.  I just love her to pieces!  I tell her all the time that she's totally in the "thick of it" when it comes to mothering.  Having four that close was harder than my eight right now, mostly because I have so many helpers.  She gets to wear her super momma cape daily to just get by and pray for a TON of grace and love and forgiveness, which comes so naturally in a loving faith-filled family!  Anyways, her and her hubs are HUGE animal lovers too - they have chickens, geese, ducks, bunnies, cats, dogs, and just recently had their second litter of puppies.  Momma dog is a standard poodle and Daddy dog is a labrador.  So the babies are beautiful labradoodles!!  I took 5 of my crew last weekend to go visit the puppies.  I think they are 3 weeks here....

Aren't they precious??!!!  I didn't get any pics of Max and Pookey holding the pups because they snuck off as fast as they could to go play with their cousins!  They love their cousins and are such good buddies with them.  Did you know cousins make the BEST of friends?!!