Mythical Creatures and Where to Find Them
Mythical! Fabulous! Fantastic! Legendary!
These big, heady words describe creatures from myths and legends around the world. You and your kids may already have favorites. Mythical creatures may be lurking--ready to play--within the walls of your home as we speak! Hunt for some in the stories you have in your house. Search your stuffed animal bin, your box of legos, the game drawer, or your plastic animal collection.
Once you and your kids have explored your favorite creatures together, consider adding a few more to your mythical repertoire:
Meet Mythical Creatures
Hyppogriff, pixie, troll. Selkie, phoenix, minotaur. Faun, kraken, yeti.
The list of mythical creatures is exhaustive and exciting! So many mysteries and stories to discover. Here are just a few:
Water Horse
Underwater worlds are already myterious to us humans. Add in mythical creatures of the deep and things get more exciting! Begin with Scotland's famous Loch Ness Monster, lovingly named "Nessie." But don't stop there:
- Learn about Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster (Scotland)
- Read Steven Kellogg's The Mysterious Tadpole
- Create a water horse out of playdoh
- Try this printable Loch Ness Monster project
- Discover Champ, the legendary creature of Lake Champlain (United States)
- Have a movie night and watch The Water Horse (as always, please preview first)
Dragon
The world of dragons has been tantalizing humans for ages. Dragons aren't hard to find in literature, picture books, toys, and games. Start here for a tiny peek and see where it leads:
- Begin your dragon quest with dragon facts and printables
- Are you near snow or sand? This dragon mold looks fun!
- Check out these dragon books
- Have multiple movie nights with ideas from this list of dragon movies
- Learn to draw many different dragons
Pegasus
Horses are already gloriously gorgeous creatures but winged horses capture our imaginations and hearts:
- Read about Pegasus
- Learn to draw a Pegasus for younger kids and older kids
- Watch The Story of Pegasus
Cultivate Culinary Creatures
A simple way to bring mythical fun to your kitchen this month is to rename your family's favorite dishes: have Minotaur Mac n' Cheese for lunch, try hot dogs topped with Kraken (sauer)Kraut, make Beasty Brownies, or Faun's Fruit Salad. Go wild with alliteration here! Can your kids rename everything in your refigerator and pantry?
Or try one of these ideas for inspiration:
- Whip up some magical treats with the Unicorn Cookbook or the Mermaid Cookbook
- Try dragonfruit, dragon eggs, dragon toes, or these extra spicy dragon noodles
- Celebrate your One Thing exploration with a unicorn cake
Help your kids come up with a menu in honor of their favorite mythical creature! What would an elven-inspired dinner include? How about a fairy luncheon or a troll teatime?
Creature Poems and Books to Explore
Speaking of teatime, try some of these titles at one of your Poetry Teatimes this month:
- Ken Nesbitt's Monster Poetry
- The Atlas of Monsters
- The Book of Beasts by E. Nesbit, illustrated by the enchanting Inga Moore
- Let Cressida Cowell, author of the How To Train Your Dragon series, share her list of favorite creatures in books
Posted March 1st, 2020
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