I look forward to the Winter Olympics every four years and I’m excited the Winter Olympics begin next month! This year it will take place in PyeongChang, South Korea!

Although the country hosted the Summer Olympics in 1988, this is the first time South Korea will be hosting the Winter Olympics. I thought it would be fun and educational to share some fun facts about the Winter Olympics. You know I am always open to finding fun ways to teach my children. 

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What I especially love about the Olympics this year is the fact that Clay was stationed in South Korea on two separate occasions. It is a beautiful place to visit and I love learning about their culture, trying different foods and just seeing how other people live their lives.

I think it will be extra fun to watch the Olympics this year and teach our kids about it in our homeschooling studies. 

Fun Facts About The 2018 Winter Olympics 

I enjoy fun facts and I think they are fun to toss into lesson plans that allow my children to think outside of the box for their lessons.

When the Olympics, either Summer or Winter, take place I make a point to let the kids watch many of the events while adding in creative ways for teachable moments. It is a great break from regular daily schooling and is enjoyable for the kiddos. 

Figure Skating and Ice Hockey 

I absolutely love watching figure skating in the Olympics. Little secret about me, I used to compete in figure skating and really loved it!  The skaters are so graceful and the technique it takes, especially for couples to skate in sync, is memorizing.

Did you know that when the Olympics first started it was during the summer games, and they opened the games with figure skating as part of the summer Olympics? Then in 1924, they decided to separate the “summer” events from the “winter” events.

Figure skating was one of the events that was moved to the Winter Olympics and is when ice hockey debuted.  

102 Medals 

A new record will be set this year before the games even begin! The Olympic committee will be handing out 102 medals awarded in 15 disciplines! 

Live Coverage 

Another new option is live coverage. Any of the U.S. times zones will have access to live coverage of the games. No matter the time in the U.S., you can watch your favorite events as it takes place. I think that is a really awesome feature and I am sure we will enjoy viewing our favorite events throughout the day. 

A Kid’s Guide to the 2018 Winter GamesWinter Olympics 2018 – Coloring Book For Kids: Winter Sports Activity Colouring For Ages 4-7 – Celebrate PyeongChang Winter Olympics

 

Cost $10 Billion 

The estimated cost of hosting the Olympics this year is $10 billion dollars! Can you imagine having that much money, what it would look like? This could be a great way to work on a math lesson and help your child see the cost of this big event. 

Country Who Has Won Most Medals 

Norway won a total of 313 medals at the 2010 Winter Olympics. The U.S. came in second not far behind with a total of 274 medals. 

Winter Games Activity Book for KidsWinter Games Mad Libs

 

New Train Line for 2018 Olympics 

Because PyeongChang is a fairly isolated city, they wanted to create a high-speed rail line so spectators and competitors could travel from Seoul to PyeongChang in around an hour.

That is a huge amount of work they put in just to have faster transportation for all those who are competing and attending the Olympics. It is astonishing to notice all the little details to prepare a city that you normally wouldn’t think about taking place. 

Indoor Events 

The four indoor events taking place in the Olympics are figure skating, speed skating (includes the short track speed skating), curling, and ice hockey. 

Fun Facts about the Summer and Winter Olympic Games – Sports Book Grade 3 | Children’s Sports & Outdoors BooksAlways Dream (Positively for Kids Series)

 

Youngest Olympic Champion At A Winter Game

Tara Lipinski was just 15 when she brought home the gold in the 1998 winter games in Nagano, Japan! She was an American figure skater. 

Athlete to Win the Most Winter Olympic Medals

Bjorn Daehlie brought home 4 silvers in the cross country skier for Norway and then four gold medals, totaling eight medals. 

Winter Olympic Dreams (Sammy the Bird Book)The Winter Olympics For Children

 

One Country Boycotted The Winter Olympics 

Taiwan refused to participate in the 1980 Lake Placid games. At the time, the Olympic Committee didn’t allow Taiwan to be called the Republic of China, so they decided to boycott the Olympics. 

13 Venues To Be Used This Year 

There will be a total of 13 venues used during the 17 days of the winter games. It is split between Gangneung and PyeongChang for the Winter Olympics. They built six new venues and then renovated the rest to fit the needs of the games. 

Now for the printable pack. This printable pack will help you learn as much as you can about the with your little ones about the “Games That Bring Everyone Together.” I have even heard North and South Korea will let try to get along during the games! Here is a sample of the printable-