DIY Olympic Gold Medals
The 2024 Summer Olympics start on Friday, July 26th in Paris and conclude on Sunday, August 11. This craft is from the 2012 Summer Olympics but you can use it for inspiration for all Olympics-viewing parties.
Make your own homemade gold medals to celebrate the upcoming Olympics and your own special gold medalists!
I love Pluffy from Sculpey. It is nice soft workable clay that doesn’t harden until you bake it. Another fabulous product is metallic paint from DecoArt (which is non-toxic and water-based). It really makes your objects look like metal. So grab some Pluffy (one package will make about three medals), Metallics Paint, a brush and ribbon and you are ready to get started. All supplies can be found at Michael’s Arts & Crafts!
We used found objects to cut and press into the clay. A drinking glass made the perfect circle.
The cap to a lip balm made perfect rings and a skewer made nice lines.
Be sure to use this opportunity to talk about the gold medals. They were designed by a British Artist, David Watkins.
The Story of the 2012 Olympic Medal
picture from http://www.london2012.com
picture from http://www.london2012.com
“The Olympic medals’ circular form is a metaphor for the world. The front of the medal always depicts the same imagery at the Summer Games – the Greek Goddess of Victory, Nike, stepping out of the depiction of the Parthenon to arrive in the Host City.
The design for the reverse features five symbolic element.
- The curved background implies a bowl similar to the design of an amphitheater.
- The core emblem is an architectural expression, a metaphor for the modern city, and is deliberately jewel-like.
- The grid suggests both a pulling together and a sense of outreach – an image of radiating energy that represents the athletes’ efforts.
- The River Thames in the background is a symbol for London and also suggests a fluttering baroque ribbon, adding a sense of celebration.
- The square is the final balancing motif of the design, opposing the overall circularity of the design, emphasizing its focus on the center and reinforcing the sense of ‘place’ as in a map inset.”
We used some of these elements for inspiration for our homemade kids’ Olympic medals. Don’t forget to make a way to hang the medal on a ribbon or string. It’s important for safety reasons to bake clay according to package instructions. (Also, it’s good practice to always ventilate your area well when crafting.)
Paint the medal. It will take about three coats for total coverage.
Presenting my gold medal swimmers!
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If you are interested in other fun crafts to do with your kids don’t miss Cindy’s summer craft camp.
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