What Strewing the Olympics Can Actually Look Like

Before we talk specifics, I want to say this clearly:

You do not need to do all of these.

Strewing isn’t a menu you’re supposed to order from.

It’s more like leaving the door open and seeing what wanders through.

So...

• Turn on the TV and talk about what you’re seeing.
  Not narrating. Not explaining. Just noticing out loud.
• Look at the schedule of televised events and see which sports intrigue your child.
• Mention the strange viewing times and casually talk about time zones.
• Pull out a globe and look at why time zone changes even exist.
• Notice the countries during the opening ceremonies or events and look them up together — or just enjoy the production.

Watching these opening and closing ceremonies are usually a spectacle all on their own. Different countries put their own spin on them.

Talk about Milan as the host city.

Culture. Architecture. Weather. Food. One comment is plenty.

You might notice your child lighting up running through the streets with the torch.

Or the uniforms.

Or how quiet the crowd gets before a run - that feeling that everyone is holding their breath for a minute

None of that needs to turn into a subject.

Those moments already are learning.

No worksheet required.

Resist the Checklist Urge

This part matters.

Resist the urge to create a checklist and just immerse yourself in the moment.

Remind yourself:

Learning belongs to the learner.

When we rush to document learning, we interrupt it.

We turn something alive into something performative — and kids feel that shift immediately.

Staying present tells them, “You don’t have to prove anything right now.”

Your job isn’t to extract outcomes — it’s to stay engaged enough to notice what’s landing and what isn’t.

That’s the data.

Following Interest Without Forcing It

If they’re into it:

Look something up.

Toss a random fact into the conversation.

Then let it go.

If interest fades:

Take a break.

Say, “Let’s come back when the the Curling event or the Downhill racing starts.”

Or maybe they’re not coming back at all.

Both are valid.

Sometimes learning from the Olympics shows up weeks later.

...A comment about weather.

...A question about countries.

...A random reference to bobsleds during dinner.

Learning doesn’t follow broadcast schedules — of course it doesn’t! That would only be in school.

You’re Strewing for Yourself Too

Read a little about historic Olympics.

One story. One moment. One strange fact.

You don’t read or watch everything — you’re not writing a research paper.

You’re strewing for yourself, too.

What you find interesting often models curiosity better than anything else.

So what do you do When Kids Seem “Not Interested”

• Sometimes kids say they’re not interested because something like this has been turned into a lesson before — and they’re guarding themselves.
• Sometimes they don’t know enough yet to feel safe committing interest.
• Sometimes they just… aren’t into it.

It’s all information that tells you something about how your child approaches new things — cautiously, selectively, checking to see if there are any strings attached.

Leaving the Olympics on casually — in the background — gives them room to circle back on their own terms.

They might stop for the race.

You might care more about the athlete stories.

That’s okay.

About Big Events Like This

Big cultural moments don’t need to be captured or completed.

They’re meant to be lived alongside.

When learning feels like part of life — and not an assignment — it sticks in ways no curriculum ever could.

So if you feel that familiar pressure rising — the urge to do something —

Remind yourself:

Life is already offering the lesson.

You don’t need to wrap it. 🎁

So, enjoy the olympics.

Save the curriculum money and use it on...great snacks! That’s always a plus! 

Happy Unschooling! 

~Sue