Olympic Fun with CONNETIX: Activities for Kids to Celebrate Paris 2024!

By Sarah Shan

Celebrate the Summer 2024 Olympics

The 2024 Olympic Games are taking place in Paris, France. Commencing on Friday the 26th of July and ending on Sunday the 11th of August, marking 19 days where athletes from all over the world will compete in the iconic Games.

To celebrate this momentous time, I have shared Olympic inspired activities using CONNETIX that will generate excitement for the Games, and support children’s discovery of the world.

Mascot

Each Olympic Games has a uniquely designed mascot that holds special significance for the host country. This years mascot is named Phryge, inspired by the traditional small Phrygian hats.

These mascots symbolize freedom and represent allegorical figures of the French Republic.

CONNETIX is the perfect tool to create a Phryge or design your own mascot. Here is our version of Phryge (Paralympics mascot).

Photo credit: sonni.flute

Flags

The Olympic Games present a unique opportunity to engage learners in geography and cultural literacy. One creative and interactive method is to recreate the flags of the participating countries. This hands-on activity not only familiarizes students with the diverse flags but also sparks curiosity about the countries they represent.

To start, gather materials such as paper, chalk pens, and reference images of the flags. Some flags are simpler to replicate, while others may require more intricate details. Encourage students to research and learn about the symbolism and history behind each flag as they work. This deepens their understanding and appreciation of the cultural significance embedded in the flags.

By engaging in this activity, students enhance their knowledge of world geography and develop a broader cultural awareness. The process of recreating flags becomes a gateway to exploring the rich tapestry of global cultures represented at the Olympic Games.

Olympic torch

Each Olympic Games features a uniquely designed torch, reflecting the spirit of the host country.

The Olympic flame is ignited at Olympia, Greece, several months before the Games begin. This ceremonial lighting marks the start of the Olympic torch relay, culminating in the lighting of the Olympic cauldron during the opening ceremony.

The Olympic flame symbolizes the light of spirit, knowledge and life. Through the torch relay, where the flame is passed from one person to another, this symbolic fire is handed down from generation to generation.

Originally, the Temple of Hera in Ancient Olympia served as a sanctuary for both Zeus and Hera. Today, it is at the altar of this temple that the Olympic flame is lit before being carried to the host country.

We created a simple torch using the right-angle triangles. You could extend its length and add details with stickers or chalk markers.

Fire traingle

It’s crucial to keep the flame lit during the ceremony and understanding this requires knowledge of the fire triangle.

Using CONNETIX, you can construct a fire triangle that includes the three essential elements: fuel, oxygen and heat.

Fuel: Any combustible material – solid, liquid or gas – that will burn and sustain a fire.
Oxygen: The air we breathe contains about 21% oxygen, which is generally sufficient to sustain a fire. Without enough oxygen, a fire cannot start or continue.
Heat: Heat is required to elevate the fuel to its ignition temperature. Sources of heat include matches, flames, sparks or even friction.

When these three elements are present in the right conditions, a fire can start. If any one of these elements is removed, the fire will be extinguished.

Architecture

Explore architectural wonders from around the world using CONNETIX. You can recreate iconic structures like the Greek Temple of Hera or the Eiffel Tower, which is significant to the host country of the Olympic Games.

For example, using CONNETIX, you can construct a miniature version of the Temple of Hera. Utilise the tubes from a ball run pack to create the majestic columns characteristic of ancient Greek architecture.

Experiment with different shapes and sizes to capture the essence of this historic temple.

This activity not only allows you to delve into the rich architectural heritage of these landmark structures but also encourages creativity and hands-on learning through building and design.

Another great STEAM building idea would be to build the stadium in which the events take place.

Photo credit: sonni.flute

Olympic Rings

The five interlocking rings symbolize the five inhabited continents of the world: Africa, America, Asia, Europe and Oceania.

Using tiles, you can create a map featuring these continents, as seen previously on @connetix_tiles Instagram. This activity provides a visual representation of the global reach of the Olympic Games.

Additionally, you can construct the five rings using tiles as dominoes. We recently engaged in a large ring domino activity, substituting purple for black, and incorporating transparent tiles to enhance the design and functionality.

Photo credit: sonni.flute

Medals

You can craft Olympic medals using CONNETIX. Utilise yellow tiles for gold medals, orange for bronze and clear tiles for silver. This hands-on approach allows for creativity in designing and imagining the prestigious awards of the Games.

Furthermore, you can document and visualise the number of medals each country earns with a bar chart. Represent gold, silver and bronze medals with corresponding-coloured tiles, providing a dynamic way to track and compare Olympic achievements across nations.

Photo credit: sonni.flute

The sports events

There are countless sports that can inspire creative world play, interactive games and even STEAM investigations.

Here are some of our favourite ideas:

Football
You can build a small soccer field to play against each other. We used ball run tubes to make goals to shoot into.
You can also set up a soccer training course using CONNETIX as cones to practice dribbling around obstacles.

Archery
You can make a target for archery using a bow and arrow, or throw other objects such as a ball. You could have different coloured zones with each representing a different number.

Table tennis
You can use CONNETIX to make a table tennis net to play with. We had great fun transforming our table so we could rally each other. This may even work using CONNETIX tiles as a bat and a wooden ball from the ball run pack, however we used a ping-pong ball as it’s much lighter.

Gymnastics
The ultimate small world play activity with opportunities to build a mat, beam, bars, vault, podium and so much more!

Inspire active play using CONNETIX as a gymnastics-style activity course with a tunnel, balance beam and obstacles to jump over.

Swimming and Diving
Another great idea for small word play is to make a 3D pool complete with a stadium for spectators, lifeguard towers and a diving board.

Running
Make a racetrack with a CONNETIX start and finish line, or even add in hurdles. We took some tiles to the park to make hurdles to jump over.

You could create a small world athletics field, placing wooden train track pieces horizontally across the track to create hurdles.

Long Jump
CONNETIX make ideal markers for all-sorts of games, try building a long or triple jump track with a line to indicate when to hop, skip and then jump. A sandpit at the end of the track would be the ultimate fun!

Discus
You could use the hexagons or pentagons as a discus and see who can throw the furthest.

Cycling
You could make an obstacle course to cycle around CONNETIX stacks. We did this with a scooter at the park.

These are some of the fun ways to use these versatile tiles to learn, explore and be involved to support your country during the Olympic period.

We would love to see if you have recreated any of our activities or built your own Olympic themed designs. Please don’t forget to tag @connetix_tiles and check out more ideas on our Instagram page @mylittlebrightsparks .

Sarah Shan

A qualified Science Teacher and mum of 3, Sarah brings her educational knowledge and love of all things STEM to her articles, reviews and play ideas that she shares through her Instagram account.

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