Love, Love, Love the Olympics

I remember being a young child and how I was so fascinated by the Olympics. It is one of my most favorite things! From the opening ceremonies to the closing ceremonies they are simply filled with magic! One of my all time dreams is to be able to be at the Olympic Games. My stepbrother was actually working in Shanghai, China 4 years ago and was able to not only go to the games, but saw one of my favorite events... Swimming!! Part of me wants to hate him for it!! :) In 1996, my family had just moved to Charlotte a few months before the Summer games in Atlanta. I remember so clearly how we went downtown to the intersection of Trade and Tryon to watch the torch come through the city on its way to Atlanta. My dad held me on his shoulders so I could see past all of the people crowded in the square. There was cheering, and music, and people everywhere. When those runners came through in their white uniforms it was absolutely breathtaking! How awesome to be so close to a symbol of peace, and strength, and collaboration. I love the Olympics, and I am surprised at myself that as much as I love them, I have never used them as a tool in the classroom. What have I been thinking??!! Over the next few days I am going to be putting together resources to use in the classroom to teach with the Olympics. For now, I will leave you with some thoughts I had while watching the Opening Cerembony: 1. I recorded it, so my roommate saw it before I did. He said that he thought it was weird and strange. I disagree. It was not as flashy as the Beijing Opening Ceremony, but it was very moving! I loved the fact that they showcased the history and people. The music was fantastic. In fact I want to create a playlist of a lot of it to play when my students are working. I thought the childrens choirs were phenomenal, and the sequence of music through the decades fantastic and memorable. 2. I realized that there are some excellent stories of strength and overcoming obstacles in these games. I was inspired by the shortest clip in the very first segment. Oscar Pistorius, from South Africa. He has two prosthetic legs, and is competeing in this years 4x400 mens relay team. What a phenomenal story. I cannot wait to see what he does! 3. One of our other fourth grade teacher had a very interesting practice with putting student names on desks last year. Instead of putting their names, she put the name of a famous author. I am thinking of putting the names of gold medalists from this years games. This could be fun! 4. I am stoked for the sports to start! Swimming and Gymnastics tomorrow! Yay!