Forum Discussion

Hi Debbie,

We have some Olympic activity ideas listed in our calendar:
https://www.goldencarers.com/calendar/olympics-activities/33/

I like your ice hockey idea!

Cheers
Talita

Hi Debbie

I am running a complete Winter Olympic Games Morning, we will be decorating the room in Winter theme (snow man and all). We divide our residents into three teams (red, blue and Green - countries dont work for us as we are a German Aged Care facility with 100% german residents!). Each team has a go at a 'disipline" making sure all members get moved around the room to each area. It is a big day and requires lots of helpers - team leader and assistant for each colour, individual "disipline" coordinator, and if you have an assistant for them to pick up balls etc, and normally me, overseer and I try not to be responsible for one group, as I tend to constantly help where needed in the moment, and also act as "watergirl" for drinks half way through!

Each team member get a coloured ribbon around their neck which has at the bottom a small square of cardboard - this will become the medallion after we have completed the games and score 1st, 2nd and 3rd. I have pre printed stickers to place on them. It also helps you see quickly who is in which team!

We have come up with games we used for Melbourne Cup and the last oylmpics but given them winter themes.

1) Bobsleding - collect square bottles (they type that are popular at the moment with fruit juice in them). Fill a bit with sand for weight, screw back on the lid and tie a long cord to the bottle The cord is attached to a cardboard roll (as in empty gladwrap or paper towel roll). The idea is to pull the bottle along the ground rolling up the cord on the roll. Now print out some colouring in images of bobsled team, colour them in with the residents, attach to the bottle and you have a bobsled race ready to go!

2) To have a snow ball throwing competition get snowballs - the white polystyrene balls you get at the craft shops - 5 empty margarine containers (thanks kitchen) with the five colours of the olympic rings around the tops. Residents each get a ball marked in their team colour and have to try to get the ball into the containers - each ball is worth a point. A round table works good, but a long one does too. Balls do tend to escape - so extra hand to collect are good, and keep this one off the beaten track to avoid OHS issues with unstable residents. But its loud and fun!

3) Ice Hockey - is basically golf - but the balls are white!! I tried to find some pukes to use, but couldn't source any. We have a big board with holes cut along the bottom into which you need to putt the ball through to score the points as marked above the holes. I use this for all sorts of game events, and is particulary popular with the men.

4) Curling - we are blessed to own a long board that is a bit like the golf board above but made for table use. There are discs that slide along this long board and you can get them through 5 various "holes" at the other end, each with a score above it. We have covered the discs with a picture of curling.

5) Snow flake throwing - reused idea from Melbourne Cup and Oktoberfest - on beer coasters we glue on pictures of snow flakes and each team member has to flick the coaster towards the end of the table were there is a container. Get it in the container - big points, other wise there are lines on the table and depending on how close you get the more point you earn.

At the end we get the groups back together in a circle and have a "silent quizz" The quizz master asks questions and together the team works out the answer and it gets written down by the team leaders. At the end we see who got the most right. I do this also because in this time I am adding up the scores from the disiplines on a white board. At the end of the quizz is the big reveal, "medal" handed out (stuck onto the cardboard) and of course chocolate prizes for everyone!
It's a big day to organise, but everyone loves the competition. It is loud, lots of action, great exercise and they talk about it for weeks on end.
Hope I have been of some help.
Good Luck
Bye
Karin

Hi Karin,

What a wonderful event you have organised for your clients. I am sure they will have fun . Thank you for some fresh Ideas and I will certainly use some of them in my events.

I had better get my skates on( no pun intended!!) as I haven't got my events organised just yet.

Thanks for your help

Cheers Debbie