Friendly Dragon-Flies
Imagine if dragons could fly! Children spread their creative wings as they design friendly paper dragons and write about their adventures.
1. Listen as your teacher or classroom volunteer reads a story about flying dragons. Without looking at the illustrations, can you imagine what such a dragon would look like?
2. Dragons are often portrayed in Western folklore as frightening, fire-breathing creatures. Chinese dragons typically are less fearsome. Try to imagine friendly dragons, too. Would your dragon be large or small? Would it be growling or smiling?
3. Most dragons are shown with wings. What kinds of wings would your friendly dragon have? How high could it fly? Close your eyes, and imagine looking up at a laughing dragon, flying high above you.
4. Using Crayola® Crayons, draw a picture of your friendly, flying dragon on construction paper. Include details to show the land and sky around your dragon.
5. Use Crayola Washable Markers to add large areas of bold color and fine lines to your flying dragon drawing.
6. Write a story about your dragon’s adventures. Where does it fly? What does it do there? Who does it meet? Display your drawing and story together, to share with your friends.
Adult supervision is required for any arts & crafts project. Observe children closely and intervene as necessary to prevent potential safety problems and ensure appropriate use of arts and crafts materials. Some craft items, particularly beads and buttons, are potential choking hazards for young children. Avoid use of such small parts with children younger than 3 years. Craft items such as scissors, push pins and chenille sticks may have sharp points or edges. Avoid use of materials with sharp points by children younger than 4 years. Read all manufacturers' safety warnings before using arts and craft supplies.
- Students with special needs may find it helpful to look at book illustrations and several other dragon pictures.
- Make a flying dragon mobile. Cut out several dragon drawings and hang them from the perimeter of a paper plate that has been notched at the edges. Use string to connect the dragons to the plate, and hang them at various levels. Use another piece of string, knotted into the center of the plate, to hang it.
- What creatures can you find in a dragon? Dragons usually are composites of various creatures. Collect dragon images, then look closely at them. List the various animals whose characteristics contributed to the dragon, such as crocodiles (scaly skins), eagles (wings), lions (claws), and dinosaurs (long necks and bodies). Use different parts of the same creatures to create a unique dragon…such as a lion’s head, crocodile feet, and eagle feathers. Compare your drawing to the original dragon.
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