Learning Through the Olympics

Okay, it's time that I come clean and admit it...  I'm addicted to Slopestyle Skiing!  Well, actually I'm addicted to watching Slopestyle Skiing... I would never actually try any of that crazy stuff!  There's just something so cool about the backwards skiing, the intense heights, the baggy clothes...  and don't even get me started on the human interest story about the skier from Indiana who taught himself to do the tricks in his backyard!  I just can't seem to stop watching!

But as much as I like watching the event itself, I like all of the educational possibilities even more!  NBC Learn has provided some video resources that explain some seriously educational aspects of the Olympic games.  They call it the Science and Engineering of the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, and it includes videos about things like the physics of different sports, and the science of snow and ice.  Check it out here:
http://www.nbclearn.com/science-and-engineering-of-the-2014-olympic-winter-games

And in case you want even more, the National Science Foundation has archived some video resources from other Olympics...  They even have one for curling:
http://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/olympics/index.jsp

Now, if Science and Engineering doesn't fit very easily into your classroom, here is an infographic with 50 facts about the Winter Olympics that might inspire a fun reading or writing assignment, or maybe even a math word problem or two:  http://visual.ly/50-crazy-facts-about-winter-olympics-infographic?utm_source=visually_embed

Enjoy!
~Alan