Interactive Olympic Art Project

Well here is an Olympic Art Project that has actual led to fights among my kids over who gets to play with it.

You make a sports venue and then an athlete which is able to move using a magnet.

The kids love it and have grand plans for making a bobsled run, skeleton, speedskating track, etc.

You need some popsicle sticks, glue, some coins (dimes and nickels work well) and some heavy duty magnets.  I got mine at the dollar store....8 for a $1.00.  You don't want to use the magnetic tape.  It is just not strong enough.

Glue your heavy duty magnet to your popsicle stick and set aside to dry. 

Find some cardboard to mount your background to.  A cereal box would work great.  You can test it to make sure your magnet will move a coin thru the cardboard.

I glued a piece of paper to my cardboard first as I needed to cover the colored cardboard...this was not my background.  The color was so strong on the cardboard I could see it thru one layer of paper.

I then took a second piece of paper the same size as my cardboard and sketched out my design.

I added some color with watercolor pencils but you can use crayon, pencil crayon, felts, whatever you wish.

I then made a little alpine skier. I sketched it out and then added color.  Make sure it is as big as your coin.

I then glued a dime to the back.  If you want you can just use tape.

Then glue your background onto your cardboard.

Flatten the best you can.

You can put some heavy books on top to help it dry flat.

And that's it an interactive picture....place your athlete on the background and using your magnet wand on the back you can make your athelete move thru the course winning Olympic Gold!

One last thing to show you after Maya posted about the "Sparrow Post" from Tasha Tudor's book she got me thinking about my dollhouse...which has been sitting in the box for the last 2 years. I finally started it this weekend...here I'm gluing in the floor for the second level. I hope to keep working on it a little each day.  It's a 3 storey and I hope to turn it into Jane Austen setting.  (just don't know which right now)

Take care and I hope you make an Olympic venue or two.  I'm sure we will be doing this activity at school.