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Do you recognize the names Giant Slalom, Luge, and Curling? Yes? Then you must be ready for the Winter Olympics! Here are a few suggestions to make them more meaningful to your children:

1. Let each child or small group of children choose an event to research. The events may be their favorites or ones they would like to know more about. (NOTE: A list of Winter Olympic events is at the end of this article.)

2. Tell the children what you want them to find out...the history of the sport, the rules of it, the equipment needed, people who have performed that event in past Winter Olympics...whatever you decide. This will keep them focused and help them write their reports using main ideas.

3. Classify the Olympic events into categories. Which take place on the snow? On the track? On the rink?

4. Make a video collage with snippets of each event.

5. Hold your own Winter Olympics! If you live where it does not snow, use props that can substitute for skis (shoeboxes, foil), ski poles (broomsticks), and whatever else you can find. Amend the rules for your age group. For the Medal Ceremony, use gold, silver, and copper pens to make the ribbons. Have your children sequence the activities in which they participated.

6. Alphabetize the names of the Olympic events.

7. Use a TV Guide to practice reading schedules and find the days, times, and channels for specific sports.

Here is a list of Winter Olympic events:

Giant Slalom, Luge, Curling, Speed Skating, Ski Jumping, Freestyle Aerials, Biathlon, Super-G, Ice Dancing, Cross Country, Combined Downhill, Slalom, Short Track, Bobsleigh, Nordic Combined,

Figure Skating, Freestyle Moguls, Snowboarding, Ice Hockey, Downhill, Skeleton

Enjoy the Winter Olympics!

I hope these ideas are useful and inspire your own creative thinking.

And remember...Reading is FUNdamental!