Are you Ready for Some Football?

It's that time of year, where many folks, (*guilty!*) become obsessed with football. There's face painting, outfits, body paint, tail gating, ... well people can get quite serious about their home teams (*ahem* Go Ravens!). Here are a few books that will help the little fans get into the spirit of the football season:

K is for Kick: A Soccer Alphabet

K is for Kick: A Soccer Alphabet (Alphabet Books) by Brad Herzog

• Make flags to represent some of the World Cup Teams.
• Learn some World Cup Facts in this quiz from National Geographic for Kids; older kids may be able to take the quiz independently.
• At the easel or art table, provide white paper cut in circles. Encourage children to design their own soccer balls.
• More World Cup Activities such as 100 Facts About the World Cup, The 2010 World Cup Anthem, Soccer Dictionary, and a ton of other links from Teacher Planet.
• Still more World Cup activities from Activity Village, a UK site.
• Get a soccer ball and learn some easy soccer moves or try these inflatable soccer balls ($9.99 per dozen) from Oriental Trading.
• Learn about South Africa in these BBC Learning Zone Clips.
• Check out these Soccer Printables from Kaboose.
• Compare American Football with Football (i.e. soccer). For example:
• Similarities: both sports use a ball; both players wear a uniform; both sports have a goal; etc.
• Differences: one ball is round, the other is oblong; you can use your hands in football but not in soccer; players wear helmets in football; etc.

More Soccer Books:

My Favorite Preschool Olympic Links

I often get excited about the world around me and current events; it is during those times that I miss teaching the most. That's why this blog is such a labor of love for me. It's my own little outlet for sharing all of the teaching ideas swirling around my head! In a previous post, I talk about choosing children's books that you, as an adult, would enjoy reading. Children pick up on our excitement and it spills over into their learning. I have always loved the Olympics and every two years I looked forward to doing an Olympic theme in my classroom. It's a fun way to cover many topics. Not only can children learn about sports (that's far from the main purpose of the theme), but they can learn about various countries around the world, ancient history, and get a good dose of gender equity sprinkled on top. So, indulge me for a moment as I share some of the great links and books that I found that may inspire you to use the Winter Games as a learning theme in your classroom!

Everything Preschool has books, art activities, and games that you can use for an Olympic theme.


ABC Teach contains Olympic facts, a coloring page, and certificates. You will also find links for Summer and Winter Olympics

Visit the Official Website of the Vancouver Olympics to Meet the Mascots, Miga, Quatchi, and Sumi!

Enchanted Learning has templates for flags around the world, a special Olympic section with tons of printables & information, and information on Canada, the host of this year's Winter Olympics.


Preschool Education has a few additional Olympic-related links and activities.


National Geographic Kids and Canadian Geographic Kids are great places to learn information about Canada.


Reading Rockets has a great list of Winter Olympic Books.

What current events do you use in your home or classroom as a springboard for learning?