Otter Olympics
The values of the olympics are excellence, respect, and friendship. These values are echoed in scout law. Doing an olympics themed meeting is a great way to get the otters moving and thinking about fair play.
- Opening Ceremony
- Ice Breaker Game
- Talk about games and being a good winner/loser
- How does it feel when you win a game?
- How about when you lose a game?
- Different people are good at different types of games/activities, how can we make everyone feel welcome when we are playing games together?
- Play a sports game
- This could be as simple as kicking a soccer ball around, or something more elaborate. You could also try a sport from another culture.
- Story and Snack Time
- Read a story about competition or the olympic games.
- Olympics themed obstacle course
- The ancient olympic pentathlon involved discus, long jump, javelin, running, and wrestling. You can turn this into a kids obstacle course by tossing a frisbee, jumping, throwing a pool noodle at a target, running, then finishing with a hug to a stuffed animal (or tackling a kids inflatable bopper if you have one available)
- You can also do any types of physical activities for this–use your imagination!
- Another idea is using existing play equipment and letting the kids design their own obstacle courses on the playground.
- Discuss inclusivity in games
- Introduce the idea of the paralympics, designed for athletes who have physical disabilities, or the special olympics, designed for athletes who have intellectual disabilities
- What are some ways we could have modified our activities today for kids who needed it?
- You could read William the One Winged Dragon from the Paralympic school curriculum
- Closing Ceremony
Items Needed:
- Materials for sports and obstacle course
- Book for story time
Badge Requirements Covered:
Blue Activity Paw
- Practice being a good winner and good loser
- Sports Game
- Obstacle Course
- Physical Fitness
- Discuss ways to welcome everyone into your otter games