Pilgrim Preschool Olympic Games

I know, I know... the Olympics are over....but we couldn't let it pass without a preschool celebration of team spirit!!!!  Today we celebrated a four year old Olympic celebration... and yes it was HOT.... but man was it FUN!!!! 

We all did a great job with the first event... the balance beam.  (Boy do those gymnasts on TV make it look easy.)  After a couple of tries, we figured out that "slow & steady wins the race."  Walking on that narrow beam takes a lot of concentration and focus... BUT we all persevered and completed our first event.

 Our second event was the "tunnel crawl."  It was lots of fun and pretty easy for each of us, but staying on our feet and moving fast while crouched down was a little harder than we thought.

 The third event was our version of the "shot put."  Again, the strong Olympic athletes make it look really easy.  We actually used a bouncing ball but - that turning around thing and throwing it towards the line was harder than we all thought.  (And did I mention it was HOT!!!)

Event number four was our version of cycling.... but it was "tricycling."  We all took turns riding the tricycle around the table, while avoiding our competitor.  Not the Tour De France... but pretty hard if you are four.

Our final event was "swimming."  (Remember we are four so we have great imaginations.)  We talked about different swimming styles ... front stroke, backstroke, and breaststroke.... and then in two lanes we pretended to swim/run to the wall, tap it, and swim/run back to the finish.  It was probably our favorite event of the day.  And if your children tell you Mrs. Kelli and I actually raced with the "doggie paddle" they are telling you the truth.  I know it is not a style recognized by the Olympics, but it was totally hilarious.  All of the children were laughing and cheering for each other.  There was the frequent chant of "USA...USA...USA..."  What an amazing day! 

 

You can see our smiles after we each received our "golden medal,' doesn't it feel so good to be recognized with something special like this?  There were no winners today (that was not the object of our fun day)... just happiness for encouraging each other, celebrating success and having lots of fun.  I found myself singing a favorite hymn from church as we went through this day and the words just ring true for all of us in our every day life....
"May you run and not be weary, may your heart be filled with song.  And may the love of God continue to give you hope and keep you strong. And may you run and not be weary, may your heart be filled with joy.  And may the road you travel always lead you home."  The authors of these lyrics are Paul Murakami and Handt Hanson... and I think it is so beautifully written and true...This was one of those days (like every day) that I feel so blessed to see your children growing in God's love.  Thank you for entrusting them to our care for this year and "Happy Preschool Olympics 2016."