As an introductory activity, pair students up and ask them to make a list of all of the Olympic events they can name. When they are finished, have them combine all of their lists to see how many events there are and compare this to the actual events that will be occurring. Talk about which sports students would add to the Olympics. Introduce Olympic values (excellence, fun, fairness, respect, personal growth, leadership and peace) and have students journal about how the Olympic Games foster these values. Assign older children to write a position paper about which value is most important to them.
Watch a few clips of downhill events with your students and talk about the science behind the speed. Divide the class into small groups for the experiment and give each group a long strip of cardboard to use as their "hill" and some checkers for skiers. Allow students access to substances such as water, cornstarch and a small fan to blow on their hill. Have them record the times it takes their checkers to reach the bottom and compare the times. Students can also adjust the slope of their hill by propping it up on a desk for a steep slope, or on a chair for a shallow one. Discuss which the skiers are the fastest, the slowest and why.
Assign students to research a country participating in the Olympics; this can be a group or individual project. Throughout the Games, have students keep track of the medals their country has won and research the country's culture. Students can create a brochure informing travelers of the most important and unique aspects of their country. Make flags to represent each researched country and go on a "parade" through the school with them when the Olympics are over.
After a unit of study about the Olympics, the natural culminating activity is to hold Olympic Games for your classroom. If you are a P.E. teacher, build obstacle courses, set up beanbag tosses, run scooter races and foot races, etc. For teachers who don't have access to a gym or equipment, use everyday items to make up games, and let the students invent some events too. Events can be physical activities, such as trying to throw wadded paper into the wastebasket from afar, or mental activities such as speed math or memory games. As a class make gold, silver and bronze medals so everyone is a winner.