The London 2012 Olympic Games kick off in one week and they and the 2012 Paralympic Games offer an opportunity for parents and children to cheer on their favourite athletes while practising literacy skills, according to ABC Life Literacy Canada.
The educational organization offers the following suggestions for parents:
Find out where the Olympic flame has travelled by looking at a map; you can practise numeracy skills by calculating the distance travelled. A detailed map can be found at: www.london2012.com/torch-relay/route.
Write a note of congratulations and send it to your favourite Canadian athlete.
Keep track of the number of gold, silver and bronze medals won by Canadian athletes and use cool stickers to mark your tally;
Find out more about the host city and read up on famous Brits like Shakespeare and Henry VIII.
Research the sports being played, identify one that you are least familiar with and read up on its rules.
Sing the Canadian national anthem in English and French to cheer on the teams.
Research information about your favourite athlete; find out where they grew up, how they train, what their favourite food is, etc.
Look up Olympic-inspired trivia. (Here's a question: Did you know speedskater and cyclist Clara Hughes is the only Canadian athlete to win a medal at both the summer and winter Olympic Games?)
Learn the history of the Olympic Games, such as its origins and past and future host cities; locate those host cities on a map.
During timed events, calculate the difference between the top athletes' performances to improve your numeracy skills!
For more literacy tips and activities, visit www.abclifeliteracy.ca.
