Pine cone Olympics--Since the Olympics are this month, why not hold your own Olympic events, but gear it around nature and the pine cone!  We have several crafty games the children will enjoy making and playing.  Lets get into the Olympic spirit!

Olympic Pine Cone "Curling"



Materials Needed:

2 Quart size empty (clean) milk cartons
markers or paint and brushes
Box cutter
pine cone

Directions:

1.  Take one milk carton and have an adult use the box cutters to cut out two sides from the carton (the sides below the carrying handle.
2.   Decorate the milk carton with paints or markers to look like the pine tree branches, or other designs you may prefer.  Let paint dry.
3.  Take the pine cone and put it in one of the container's "curlers".  Toss it to the other person to catch in his "curler".  The person to catch 10 pine cones first, is the winner.
This craft is good for fine motor repetitive coordination, and playing the game is good for eye-hand coordination and balance.

Pine Cone  Bocce

Materials Needed:

2-3 pine cones for each child
paints and brushes

Directions:

1.  Have each child paint 2-3 pine cones in their favorite color (have only one primary or secondary color for each child).  Let paint dry.

2.  Throw out an unpainted pine cone.  Let each child throw out one of their painted pine cones toward the unpainted one.  After all the pine cones have been thrown, the  painted pine cone closest to the unpainted one, is the winner.


Pine Cone Toss (or Hunt)

Materials Needed:

10 Pine Cones for each child
Paint and Brush
Bucket

Directions:

1.  Paint the pine cones one color per child.  Let dry.
2.  Put bucket a few feet from child.
3.  Each child throws one pine cone toward the bucket, trying to get the pine cone into the bucket.
4.  The child with the most pine cones in the bucket at the end of throwing, is the winner.
*  For the Hunt, take the dry, painted pine cones and hide them when the children are not around.  Have the children hunt for their color.  The first child to find all their pine cones is the winner.

Pine Cone Relay Races

Divide the children into teams of two or four.  Give each team one of the colored pine cones. The first child of each team  runs to a specific spot and back and hands off the pine cone to the next team member who runs the same course.  The first team to complete the race is the winner.