The Olympics begin this week!
As was the case for the 2008 Beijing Olympics, and especially for the London 2012 Olympics, our summer school this year is focused on all things Olympics, as well as this year’s host city of Rio de Janeiro, and Brazil, South America, and geography in general. I’ve added a few new books to our Olympics book basket, and found some geography and South America-themed books, as well:
- The Great Kapok Tree: A Tale of the Amazon Rainforest
- The Lion Storyteller Bedtime Book: “The Two Brothers”
- Journey to the River Sea
- Capyboppy
- Lea Dives In
- Lea Leads the Way
- Lea and Camila
- DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Brazil
- DK Biography: Pelé
- The Complete Book of Maps and Geography
- National Geographic Kids World Atlas
- Ultimate Sticker Book: Flags of the World
- Flags of the World flashcards
We’ll be repeating some of our favorite Olympic crafts, like pretzel rod torches (edible crafts are the best!), and tracking medals by country. The children are coming up with a list of events for our quadrennial Markel Family Olympics, and I’ve been researching Brazilian recipes. I also made workbooks similar to the ones I made four years ago…and this time, Chickadee gets one, too! As always, our goal is to learn something about the history and culture of the host nation, as well as the history of the Olympics, both ancient and modern, all while watching our favorite sports (swimming and gymnastics), as well as the more unusual ones that we only see once every four years (water polo and handball, for example). I’m looking forward to getting started!