If you’re looking for game schedules, freebies, athletes that tweet, and other details about this year’s Winter Games, check out my other blog post, 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics.  As I was writing that post I ran into incredible education resources and fun stuff for kids…I wanted to keep it separate and figure out which was worth investigating.

This post is dedicated to the educational opportunities for teachers and kids being offered online!  I have found links to online games, printable worksheets and coloring pages, and also information that I definitely didn’t expect to find preschool aged children through the 12^th grade!  Emotionally connect your family and students to the 21^st Winter Olympics with these resources!

Meeting the 2010 Olympic Mascots

From left to right, meet snowboarding Miga, Quatchi who loves playing hockey, and Sumi.

***Find out when you can meet them LIVE!

Mascot	Meaning Behind Choice
Quatchi the Sasquatch	The sea bear is inspired by the legends of the Pacific Northwest First Nations, tales of orca whales that transform into bears when they arrive on land.The Kermode bear is a rare white or cream-coloured sub-species of the black bear that is unique to the central West Coast of British Columbia.
Sumi the Animal Spirit	Transformation is a common theme in the art and legend of West Coast First Nations. Transformation represents the connection and kinship between the human, animal and spirit world.The bear often represents strength and friendship. And the thunderbird — which creates thunder by flapping its wings — is one of the most powerful of the supernatural creatures.
Miga the Young Sea Bear	The sasquatch is a popular figure in local native legends of the Pacific West Coast.The sasquatch reminds us of the mystery and wonder that exist in the natural world, igniting our imagination about the possibility of undiscovered creatures in the great Canadian wilderness.

Online 2010 Olympic Games & Activities for Kids

Game	Details
Miga Moves	Mascot Rockband, match the letters V/B/N/M in time to falling starfish!Difficulty:  MediumThis one takes some keyboard coordination…older kids (and adults) will really enjoy!
Soaring Sumi	Keep Sumi flying across Canada by hitting the spacebar to move up!  Fly up or down to avoid obstacles and hit health points!Difficulty:  EasyEasier than most games, simple hit spacebar without worrying about other keys/mouse.
Shootout Shutout	Face off against Miga and Sumi in some fast-paced one-on-one hockey!Difficulty:  HardThis game takes the MOST coordination, not only do you have to use LEFT and RIGHT arrow keys to move back and forth as the goalie, you also have to use the 1-3 number keys that correspond with colored pucks.  Definitely for older kids.
Operation Recycle	Help Miga, Quatchi, and Sumi with their neighborhood recycling program!Difficulty:  Easy/MediumAlthough it does not require a lot of coordination it does require some thought.  Complete rounds by successfully finishing 5 levels.  Includes a little physics, test your trajectory skills by holding the mouse button down and dragging to aim towards target! *My 6 year old daugher enjoyed this game the most!
Which Mascot Are You Like	Take this quiz to see which mascot you’re most like…your child’s first personality test…next stop Meyer-Briggs!

Other Fun Activities:

Send E-cards	Select 1 of 4 mascot scenes, decorate VERY easily, add verbage, and send to family and friends!
Crafts and Color Printables	Download and print craft activities (make 3-d mascots!!) and get printable coloring sheets
Download Desktops & Wallpapers	Download (for Windows only…) an interactive desktop to decorate with stickers, information about the ceremony, add an Olympics countdown, and much more…Download static Wallpapers for those that desires less interactivity.

Paralympic Games

Sumi is officially the mascot of the Vancouver 2010 Paralympic Game…check out this printable passport activity book to track his and your journeys!  After printing out those, print out this printable coloring sheet to color your own Sumi!

Featured Programs

Check out these fun facts about the Paralympic Winter Games (pdf).  Although Paralympic School Week in School has already passed officially (November 2-6, 2009) you can still support the Paralympic Games any time.  Resources for educators found on the official games website here.  Here’s the link to the “Guide for Educators” to celebrating in your skills with informative details, activities, and other helpful stuff.

Educational Resources

The Canadian Olympic School program seeks to inspire young students through Olympian stories, activities, projects, activities and more and offers:

• Teacher Resources for educators with printable PDFs, videos, pictures, and more!
• Student Lounge geared towards school aged kids
• Playground for Younger Kids means you don’t have to be in school to catch the spirit with additional games, puzzles, and contests.
• Library section to answer all your kids’ questions

School-Aged Kids: Additionally there are these printable Olympic Games Project Packs pdf.  Includes additional resources for teachers or your kids:

• Destination Vancouver - Planning a vacation to Vancouver
• Tough Call - Respond to tough situations as the Olympic Team’s communication staff
• Speedy Recovery - Create an athlete’s injury treatment plan
• Save, share, and Spend –  financial planning during tough economic times
• Own the Podium - Analyze data with probability and trig skills to find out what it takes to “Own the Podium”
• Financing the Olympic Dream – what it costs, how to budget, invest, and borrow to reach Olympic goals
• Design brochure – hired to develop the ultimate youth travel package, come up with the advertisement!

Passing the Torch Activities:

Make Your Own Peace

This is a wonderful opportunity to teach kids about practicing peaceful behaviors and making peace in their home and communities.  Starting on February 4, 2010, check out “Sharing the Dream” webcasts inspired by the Olympic Truce and led by children.