Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Olympic Fun for the Kids

Before we left for our vacation to Rehoboth Beach, I realized that the Olympics were going to be starting while we were there. So to have a little fun for the kids (ages 6, 4, 4, 3, 1 1/2, 9 months, and 9 months) I thought I would make each of them an Olympic medal. These were super easy to make and the kids loved them. We never got around to having any specific competitions, I think the kids didn't get that part of the Olympics yet anyway. But if you want to come up with some kid friendly games, I'm sure there are lots to choose from. Some examples are a bean bag toss, hula-hooping competition, and races in the yard. You could make a medal for each child, like I did, or as awards for specific competitions.


Here are the instructions.

You will need a thin wooden circle for each medal, I bought these unpainted at my local craft store.

I used a 1/4" bit to drill a hole in each medal, about 1/2" from the edge.

Next, I sanded any rough edges.

I then used white spray paint to paint both sides.


Now use a stencil to paint a flag/star design on the front.


On the back I stenciled the first letter of the child's name and then used a Sharpie marker to print the rest of the name.

A length of ribbon tied through the hole and the medal's done!



Now, I wasn't completely happy with the back of the medal. I thought it could use something else but I couldn't think of what to do. And I don't think the kids minded. They would've been happy with anything.

4 comments:

Sarah Laurence said...

Wow, so many kids! I'm sure your family appreciated that you came prepared. You could always do the kid olympics in 4 summers when they are old enough to participate. Did you have a fun vacation with your extended family? Any time for art and writing? I often go on vacation with goals and accomplish little except relaxing but perhaps that is truly a successful vacation.

Cindy said...

Hi Sarah ~ Yes maybe another attempt at a Kid Olympics in 4 years (or 2 if we want to try the Winter sports). It was nice to see everyone. As you can imagine it was usually pretty chaotic. I hope to have a post on the trip soon.
No time for art but I did actually journal for each day.
Yes, I think relaxing is an important part of a vacation. To that end, I think we will be planning another vacation for the fall, just John, Lillian and I. A vacation from the vacation so to speak.
~Cindy

Alyson | New England Living said...

That is such a cute idea! My sister-in-law did something similar when the olympics were in Utah (back when we lived there). I think she used yogart lids. Yours look much fancier!

Cindy said...

Alyson ~ what a great way to repurpose yogurt lids. My idea came from a craft that used air-drying clay with sequins pushed in to decorate. There was no way I could do that with all the young, young kids.