On February 9th, the 2018 Winter Olympics begins with the opening ceremony in PyeonChang, South Korea. Over the next few weeks, we are going to learn about the Olympic history, research the participating sports and design our own Winter Olympic sport. During the Olympics there will be 102 events, 15 sports and about 100 nations taking part. We look forward to joining the excitement with our very own Olympic Games! 😆

Pyeongchang has two mascots. They are Soohorange (a white tiger) and Bandabi (a black bear).

The white tiger is considered Korea’s guardian animal and is closely related to Korean mythology. The mascot represents trust and protection, and the strength of the athletes.

Bandabi the bear is a symbol of strong will and courage.

Here is a video of Soohorang to get us excited about the upcoming Winter Olympic Games!

Here is a list of the participating events. Click on each one to watch a short video about the sport:

• Alpine Skiing
• Biathlon
• Bobsled
• Cross-Country Skiing
• Curling
• Figure Skating
• Freestyle Skiing 
• Freestyle Moguls Skiing
• Ice Hockey
• Luge
• Nordic Combined
• Short Track Speed Skating
• Skeleton
• Ski Jumping
• Snowboarding
• Speed Skating

To watch the Olympics live, click on the link below: 

Winter Olympics Live

To learn more about the Winter Olympics, check out the links below:

• Official Winter Olympic Site
• Science Behind the Olympics
• Winter Olympics Athletes
• Team USA
• Mrs. Ramirez’ friend, Stacy Spletzer, is working with athletes for WADA. Watch her videos and send her questions here, Greetings from the Winter Olympics.
• Mrs. Wagner’s Winter Olympics Online Scavenger Hunt. You can find fun facts, create Olympic rings and/or learn the science behind sports.

 Science of the Winter Olympics

Your task is to invent your own Winter Olympic event. It can be modified from one of the original sports or you can completely create your own game. Make a design and create a model using household materials.

Watch how Caine uses his imagination to create an entire arcade out of cardboard. The possibilities are endless when you use your imagination and creativity. 

Good Luck Inventors!