by Dena Bless
Feb. 2, 2026
We have a couple of unique opportunities this month to use winter sports to add some fun, variety, and real-life experience to a wide array of subjects. Of course they can be used for PE (how many will your family try this month?), but how about using them as subject matter for economics, geography, history, psychology, marketing, and science? Please note: Because some of the beliefs and values reflected in our society may differ from yours as a parent, you may want to prescreen some of this material, or at least not watch it live so you can edit or skip ahead. The Winter Olympics Choose a favorite event or two. When did it begin being a sport? Why? How did it start? [For instance, who thought going down an icy chute on a little sled, feet first (luge) or head first (skeleton), was a good idea?] Ice skating began as a simple need of transportation (who invented it and where?), but when did it evolve into a competition that included spins and jumps and twirls? What made it become a sport for couples versus just individuals? Explore the physics of the different maneuvers. How does body shape and type and musculature influence a skater’s success with certain jumps or spins or performing certain maneuvers as a couple? How do athletes prepare for competing at such an elite level? How does the elevation of the venue for their event affect their training? If you’re around the San Diego area, tour the Olympic Training Site in Chula Vista. Certain countries seem to dominate certain sports. Why? What is it about their culture that makes them win so many medals in that sport? Geography: Find countries on a map throughout the games and study their flags. Do you know why the five Olympic rings are those particular colors? During the Parade of Nations at Opening Ceremonies, they often share interesting facts about the different countries as the athletes march in. There will probably be several special reports about the country and region where the games are being held. It’s labeled as “Milano Cortina,” but it’s not just one city. Look at a map and see where all the events will be held. What are some ways athletes or spectators can travel from one area to another? What routes do they need to take? Obviously, weather has a significant impact on many of these competitions. What makes for “good” or “bad” weather? How will it affect things like world records being set or not? Is it the same for all the events? Do they ever cancel or postpone because of the weather? The Super Bowl While many of the subjects listed above can also apply to the Super Bowl, there are some additional topics that have a special twist to them with the Super Bowl. Starting with the fact that California is hosting it this year. Do you live in or near Santa Clara? How will your life be affected for the week prior and following? If you can, drive by the stadium and surrounding area before and again after and see what changes it is causing to traffic flow and such. Are people leaving and renting out their home during that time? Does that have a residual effect on the area (see the Economics questions below)? Economics: What is the net effect for the host city/area? What about surrounding cities? Some factors you may want to consider: Costs: Do they have to pay some kind of licensing fee to the NFL? Increased security, police presence, fire or ambulance costs? Are there other infrastructure costs (like garbage and street cleaning) that increase also? Income: Does the host city get to keep a percentage of the ticket and/or concession sales? Hotels and restaurants – will they experience increased business and will they also charge higher prices? (Compare hotel room costs from last year versus this year for the same time period.) Parking lots – are there city-owned lots? Do they increase their prices for this event or even during the overall time frame? (I live near the area and have often seen private lots increase their prices for special events.) There are also aspects of economics you can study overall: What products have an upsurge in sales for this event as people throw Super Bowl parties at their home or other establishments? Are there certain restaurants and such that have extra business that day? Are there others that experience a downturn in business because of this event? An increase in business also has costs associated with it, like extra deliveries or production time or servers, so does the increased income always cover the increased costs? Psychology and Marketing: What might be concerns for security with such a large crowd? What is “mob mentality” or “herd mentality,” and how might it come into play in this situation? What is “groupthink” and how might it affect people’s behavior at the event? How might companies try to use it in their advertising? How much does an ad during the Super Bowl cost this year? How many products or services does a company have to sell to make it worth investing such a large sum for an ad? Which marketing strategies sell the best (I appreciate humor!)? Do certain products or services do better with certain approaches? What are ethical lines to consider in advertising as a whole or with certain approaches (e.g. fear)? There are many websites that will help with finding answers to many of these questions. Whether you decide to study any of them in depth, or use them as conversation starters for dinner or drive times, or just to encourage you to go ice skating or toss a football around with your family, we hope you find these ideas and questions conducive to expanding your homeschooling repertoire. _________________________________ Dena Bless is a veteran homeschool mom of two daughters. She loves encouraging other families to enjoy the freedom of home education. As the Events Manager for CHEA she enjoys traveling the state and engaging with families in person as well.
