Let the Games Begin

I love the summer Olympics. Swimming, diving, gymnastics. Then I realized Lily has no idea what they Olympics are. No clue. Then I saw a fun kid party to celebrate the Olympics and I was sold. I started pinning and reading books and here is what transpired out of all my research.

To set the mood, we loaded Summon the Heroes CD into iTunes and I bought Whitney's version of The Star Spangled Banner. These were all playing as the kids did their activities.

We started with the games of old--making laurel wreaths to put on their heads.

Aren't they sweet?

I tried to come up with some games that were "actual" events that they can watch over the next two weeks.

Relay race

Triple (well quintuple) Jump

Discus Throw

Water sports (no swimming or diving, so water balloons will have to do)

Rhythmic Dance

In between all the events, we read books about the games and made some crafts.  My favorite book is G is for Gold. Beautiful pictures and simple words for little ones. But it did include more details for the adults. 

The kids made their ribbons for the dance, as well as a torch when we talked about the opening ceremonies.

 What better way to discuss the meaning behind the Olympic flag than with cupcakes? Served with Gatorade and water, of course. The drinks of athletes.

 And since all the athletes were superstars, everyone went home with a gold medal.

"Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize. Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last,  but we do it to get a crown that will last forever." 1 Corinthians 9:24-25

We ended the morning with the verse above. We talked about how our gold medals won't last, only what is in our hearts. It is so important for us to share the love of Jesus with those around us. But we also need to share with others around the world who need to know Him. We have a team from our church partnering with another body of believers who are in London today ministering to those who will be watching the Games in suburban areas. We prayed for the teams and all those who will be hearing the Gospel message--that they will KNOW HIM! Because that is what life is all about!