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Canada Olympic Park - School Away from School (Post #2)

In my last post I said that Canada Olympic Park (COP) was the site of the 1988 Winter Olympics. Actually, it was one venue of several where various Olympic competitions took place; one of the many things the children and I learned during our visit this week.

On our second day, we spent the morning revisiting the 7 Olympic Values (see Post #1) and trying to find connections to the 7 Sacred Teachings (love, respect, bravery, honesty, wisdom, humility, and truth). The two specialists from the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) used a Venn Diagram to help the children find connections between the two sets of values. They had to use their best thinking to identify similarities as much of this was new terminology for them, though not new concepts.

Next, our teachers for the day took us on a hike through deep snow to the Paskapoo Slopes, http://www.paskapoo.com/, which is also known as the Eastlands, of the COP. This used to be a site for a buffalo run long ago. We stopped to listen to and watch waxwing birds. We saw bushes of Saskatoon berries and Alberta white rose. We also saw a few animal tracks here and there. We had a refreshing walk despite the few challenges that hiking in snow and ice presents.

In the afternoon we had inspiring talks by two athletes, a gymnast and a luger, from the National Sport School http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b830/. Despite the many challenges they've faced - hip replacement and spine injuries - these two female athletes exemplified for the students many of the Olympic Values we had been discussing over the last two days. A special treat was to try on the gear that goes with being a luger and to practice some gymnastic moves.

End of day #2.

http://twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/2011/03/24/solsc-2011-24-of-31/

Comments

Diana Martin said…
What a wonderful and inspiring experience for you and your students. I bet the visit will spur great discussions.
25 March 2011 at 06:49
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