All hail the Olympics! As you watch your favorite athletes strive, consider the exciting competitions an opportune time to brush up on a little basic knowledge about countries of the world:
*Review flags of the world here, courtesy of the CIA World Factbook. The site also includes maps and “information on the history, people, government, economy, geography, communications, transportation, military, and transnational issues for 267 world entities.”
*While you’re browsing snapshots of world countries, why not virtually visit the Olympians’ homelands? Some ideas for armchair traveling are listed here.
*Talk the talk of international athletes: see here for seven good foreign language help sites.
Finally, you might stop by the official website of the Olympic Games. Go to the “Olympism” tab and scroll down to “Educators.” Although this material is prepared for grade schoolers, it’s still interesting to see the colorful e-brochure “resources” from the Olympic Museum and learn, for instance, about the history of the ancient and modern Olympic Games.
Image via mrg. bz / sideshowmom
Related on this site:
It’s always a good time to study geography.
A good place to start studying world religions.
Related from around the web:
- History of the Olympic Games from ancient Greece to London 2012 (itv.com)
- Classical music: The 2012 Summer Olympic Games officially open in London today – and here is guide to all you need to know about music and the Olympics. (welltempered.wordpress.com)
- Olympic Games Fast Facts (slideshare.net)
- Honoring The Games, And The Past, With Poetry (npr.org)