Light The Olympic Fire!

It has been cold and the children are getting a little stir crazy.  Tonight is the first night of the 2014 Olympics, so I thought we needed to embrace this global event and make the most of a frigid morning.  Plus, it is a lot more fun than breaking up a brawl over Twilight Sparkle (a beloved My Little Pony).

I am running low on supplies and need to make a trip to town, so this is a simple craft you can make from a variety of materials just sitting around the house.  Use what you have!  Tissue papers, streamers, cardboard tubes, paper cups, and more are just a few ideas to get you started.  Get creative and design your own Olympic Torches! 

Here is a list of items we used:

• white paper to roll into a cone
• red and yellow construction paper
• tape
• red and blue markers
• scissors

To make a simple torch, follow these directions:

• Color the white paper.  We used red and blue for the USA!  The kids loved it and we had a great discussion about our flag and country.
• Roll the paper into a cone and tape securely.
• Cut the pointed bit off into a rounded edge.
• Using the red and yellow paper, cut out "flames".
• Attach the flames inside the top of the cone using tape.  We had to use a generous amount of the sticky pieces, because the zealous children kept dropping them around the living room.
• Voila!  You now have a torch to hold as you watch the Olympics!

During activity time, I did include a few YouTube blips of people running with Olympic torches and a few video montages of the ceremonies from London and China.  Showing the clips cinched the deal and now my house is full of little Olympians carrying torches.  I know tonight there will be a few preschoolers sitting in their farmhouses cheering for Team USA on the other side of the world!