PLAY IT | One Day I Ate Lunch with a Dragon

Go around the circle creating a cumulative lunch menu with each person adding something. “One day I ate lunch with a dragon and he cooked me some hot dogs. One day I ate lunch with a dragon and he cooked me some hot dogs and some French fries.” This doesn’t have to be an elimination game. Just go around the circle and you can all help each other, when needed, to remember the entire menu.

READ IT | Dragons

There are many wonderful stories about dragons. New and old, all of them provide adventure and intrigue. Here are a few fun stories to share with family. If you can’t access any books on dragons, share your favorite dragon story!

Saint George and the Dragon retold by Margaret Hodges, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi

Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin, illustrated by Daniel Salmieri

Where the Mountain Meets the Moon by Grace Lin

MAKE IT | Dragon Den

Dragon’s live in dens. Make your own! Gather up pillows, sheets, blankets, or boxes in your house. Build them together by draping the sheets and blankets over chairs or boxes. Put the pillows underneath and go inside your dragon den! Here you can read books, keep your treasures, or even have a sleepover.

WRITE IT | Writing Prompt

Imagine you are trapped in a dragon’s den. Write about how you got there. Did the dragon take you? Did you find it while on a hike? Then write about what you’ll do. Do you befriend the dragon? What happens in the cave? Do you get out alive? Do you decide to stay? Write your story

COOK IT | Dragon Deviled Eggs

Ingredients: ● 8 eggs ● food coloring (any color you want your eggs to be) ● ¼ cup mayonnaise ● 2 tsp yellow mustard ● 2 tsp tabasco ● 3 slices of bacon, cooked and chopped ● 1 jalapeño pepper, minced ● salt, to taste ● paprika

Instructions: In a large pan, boil some water. Add eggs and cook for nine minutes. Put the eggs in an ice bath to let them cool down. Crack the eggs, without peeling them. Put each egg in a Ziploc bag and add food coloring. Massage the bag until eggs are coated with food coloring. Rest for half an hour. Rinse to remove excess of food coloring. Peel. Cut the eggs in half and scoop the yolk into a bowl. Mix the yolk with mayonnaise, mustard, tabasco, jalapeño, bacon, and salt. Scoop the mixture into the empty egg whites. Sprinkle with paprika and serve. Enjoy!

PLAY IT | Fairytale Storyteller

Tell new stories with your friends and family using this storyteller as inspiration.

1. Print off the attached fortune teller and fold it up.

2. Ask a friend to choose one picture then move the cootie catcher with your fingers so it snaps open first one way and then the other (imagine a mouth talking!). As you do this spell out what they have chosen, for example if they choose the pirate spell out P-I-R-A-T-E.

3. Pirate has six letters, so stop moving your fortune teller after six moves and ask the player to choose one of the newly revealed pictures on the inside.

4. This time the pictures have numbers. Move the fortune teller the same amount as the number they choose. Repeat this step for as long as you want the story to be, but make sure to include the picture you land on as the next part of your story.

5. Open the last flap to reveal their happily ever after!

READ IT | Cinderella

Cinderella has been retold over the years in many different ways and many different cultures. Here are some classic versions from around the world. If you can’t access any Cinderella books, Try creating your own version!

Mufaro’s Beautiful Daughters: An African Tale by John Steptoe

The Gift of the Crocodile: A Cinderella Story by Judy Sierra, illustrated by Reynold Ruffins

The Rough-Faced Girl by Rafe Martin, illustrated by David Shannon

Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine

Cinderella translated and illustrated by Marcia Brown

WRITE IT | Writing Prompt

Choose your favorite fairytale or folktale that you know. Now rewrite it as if you were the main character. Would you make the same choices as the original character? How would the story change? Now rewrite it as if you were the villain. Would you be as vile as the original? How would your terrible actions change? Would you be redeemed at the end?

MAKE IT | Paper Scroll

Happily Ever Afters are usually announced to the whole kingdom on a scroll. Make your own scroll with your own proclamation!

1. Provide long rectangles of light colored construction paper or rice paper to each child to make a scroll.

2. Have the children decorate the scrolls with writing or drawings, using watercolors or markers. The markers can be lightly painted over with a damp brush to bleed the colors. a. This addition is best done with older children, because too much water can cause the colors to blend together to the point where the picture is gone.

3. When the paper has dried, roll the two ends to center to look like the scroll shown in the story.

COOK IT | Happily Ever After Sugar Cookie Bark

What celebration is complete without cookies, chocolate, and sprinkles? Now you can have all three in one with this no bake dessert! As always, ask a caregiver for help in the kitchen! Ingredients: ● 2 (12 ounce) packages white chocolate chips, divided ● 2 tablespoons Crisco shortening , divided ● 1 pouch Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix ● 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, softened ● 2 tablespoons milk ● Sprinkles

Instructions:

1. Line a 8 1/2 x 11 baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Place the white chocolate chips from 1 bag in a medium microwave-safe bowl and melt in the microwave in 30 second intervals on low, stirring in between. Repeat until melted and smooth.

3. Add in 1 tablespoon of the Crisco and mix until smooth and combined.

4. With a spatula, spread white chocolate in an even layer on the parchment paper. Place in the refrigerator for 10 minutes until hardened.

5. In the meantime, with a handheld mixer, cream together the sugar cookie mix, butter, and milk until thoroughly combined.

6. Place on top of the chilled white chocolate and press to spread almost to the edge.

7. Place back in the fridge for another 10 minutes.

8. Melt the second bag of chocolate chips in the same manner as the first.

9. Mix in the remaining tablespoon of Crisco.

10. Spread over the cookie dough and immediately cover with sprinkles.

11. Chill for another 10 minutes until completely set.

12. Break into small pieces and serve.

Note: You can store this in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

PLAY IT | Entertain the Royals

In medieval days, jesters often entertained the royals. Children can make jester hats like the one below, put on a jester then put together a performance of “Jokes from the Jester” for the family. Royal Jokes: • Where did the jesters go? To have their funny bones tickled. • Why were the early days of history called the dark ages? Because there were so many knights! • Why did Arthur have a round table? So no one could corner him. • Who invented King Arthur’s round table? Sir Cumference ! • What was Camelot ? A place where people parked their camels. • What was Camelot famous for? Its knight life. • When a knight in armor was killed in battle, what sign was put on his grave? Rust in peace. • What king invented fractions? Henry the 1⁄8. • Which king invented the fireplace? Alfred the Grate. • Edward the Black Prince had a son who became king. What was his name? Old King Coal.

READ IT | Kingdom Diversions

There are many ways people entertained themselves in medieval kingdoms. From dancing, to joking, to crafting, there was always something to do. Read these books with your family to explore different kingdoms, castles, villages, and the people who lived there. If you can’t access any books on these subjects, make up your own kingdom and decide who will rule the kingdom and under what rules!

Castle by David MaCaulay

The Twelve Dancing Princesses retold and illustrated by Rachel Isadora

Good Masters! Sweet Ladies! Voices from a Medieval Village by Laura Amy Schlitz, illustrated by Robert Byrd

The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Timothy Basil Ering

WRITE IT | Court Entertainer

Imagine living in a kingdom and being a court entertainer. What would your act be? Singing, dancing, juggling, painting, comedy? Write all about your life as a court entertainer and the act you perform to entertain the royal family.

MAKE IT | Jester's Hat

What you need: • grocery bag • scissors • pencil • tape, glue, stapler • poster paint, watercolors, crayons or markers

What you do:

• Cut a slit up the side of the grocery bag.

• Cut away the bottom of the bag to form a rectangle about 12–13" high.

• Fold up the bottom of the bag to form a 2" band.

• Draw petal shapes like a jester’s hat.

• Use poster paint, watercolors, crayons or markers to color both sides of the petals in alternating colors.

• Cut the petal shapes around the top of the bag. • When the paint is dry, glue cotton balls at the tops of the petals.

• Adjust the size of the hat to the child’s head with a stapler (staple ends on the outside so staples won’t snag hair).

COOK IT | Baked Pears

Ingredients: ● 3 Pears ● 1 teaspoon cinnamon ● 2 teaspoons sugar

How To:

1. Preheat the oven to 400F.

2. Half & core pears

3. Bake in a glass dish at for 35 minutes

4. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and serve!

History Bit: This recipe comes from 14th century France, Chiquart's "On Cookery". Baked pears were believed to have medicinal properties and were often given to the ill

PLAY IT | Wizard Charades

The child who is the “wizard” puts the “magic hat” (use any hat) on another child. That child acts out an animal (such as a toad, snake or cat) or an object (such as a car, table or spoon). The “wizard” then must guess what the child has turned into by watching the actions of the child he or she has cast the spell on.

Wizard, wizard

Please do tell

What did I become

When you cast your spell?

READ IT | Wizards, Witches, and Warlocks

Magic and people who practice it have been a part of most all fairy tales. Read these stories with your family and discover magic in many different cultures. If you don’t have access to these books, create a story about a new magical power!

Akata Witch by Nnedi Okorafor

Igraine the Brave by Cornelia Funke

Rumplestilstkin retold and illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

Beauty and the Beast retold and illustrated by Jan Brett

Heckedy Peg by Audrey Wood, illustrated by Don Wood

MAKE IT | Color Magic

Have fun with a little color magic.

● Have children create their own color magic with finger paints OR

● Use washable markers to color coffee filters

○ Wet the colored coffee filters with water from a spray bottle.

○ Cut the filter into a shape, such as a heart or diamond.

○ When the filter dries, paste the painted filter to a piece of construction paper.

WRITE IT | Magical Abilities

If you could have any magical ability, what would it be? What would you do with it? Would you have been born with it, or did you learn it some other way? Write about your magical ability. Then ask your family what magical ability they would choose!

COOK IT | Magic Cookie Bars

You’ll Need:

● 13x9 inch baking pan

● non-stick cooking spray

● 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs

● 1/2 cup butter, melted

● 1-14oz can Sweetened Condensed Milk

● 2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

● 1 1/3 cups flaked coconut

● 1 cup chopped nuts

(walnuts or pecans)

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

2. Spray a 13 x 9 inch pan with non-stick cooking spray. Make sure to spray the interior sides well.

3. In a medium size bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs and melted butter and mix until well combined.

4. Pour mixture into the prepared baking pan and gently press to create a crust that covers the entire

bottom of the pan.

5. Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crumb crust.

6. Evenly sprinkle chocolate chips, coconut and nuts over the condensed milk layer.

7. Gently press down with a fork.

8. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until beginning to lightly brown.

9. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for approximately 5-10 minutes.

10. Then, while still warm, loosen bars from the side of the pan gently to prevent them from sticking. Cut

into bars. Store tightly covered.

Notes:

To make it easier to remove bars from the pan, line the entire pan with foil or parchment paper, using enough that it extends over the sides. Coat the foil with non-stick cooking spray (you don’t have to spray the parchment paper). After baking and bars have cooled, the entire pan of bars can be lifted out of the pan by using the foil or parchment edges.

READ IT | Arthurian Legends

Share these tales of King Arthur, the knights of the round table, and the sword in the stone with the whole family. If you can’t access any books on King Arthur, talk about what kinds of things a knight may have done during this time period.

The Once and Future King by T.H. White

The Kitchen Knight: A Tale of King Arthur retold by Margaret

Hodges ,illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman

King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table by Roger Lancelyn Green

Merlin and the Dragons by Jane Yolen, illustrated by Li Ming

WRITE IT | Telling Your Family's Story Through a Family Tree

In this writing exercise you will paint family trees and record your family stories!

Questions to ask: Do families have to be biological? What else makes a family?

Write down the names of your immediate family members or caretakers, then paint a fingerprint family tree that will be the cover for your family question workbooks.

Materials and Preparation

Fingerprint Family Trees

You will need:

● 9 x 12” construction paper

● A trunk template

● Non-toxic washable paint (at least three

colors)

● Large paint brushes (one for each paint color)

● Large paper plates

● crayons or markers

Family Question Workbooks

You will need:

● Add to or modify the family questions as

desired (see attached worksheet)

● Ask questions and fill out the worksheet

● Staple all of the pages together to make the family tree workbook

Before you start, paste or draw tree trunks onto sheets of construction paper (examples attached.) An adult should paint the children’s fingertips and guide them in making a fingerprint for each family member.

Change colors as desired (each “leaf” color could represent a different generation). You can also use crayons or markers. After the paint dries, add family members’ names to the leaves. Fold the trees in half to make workbook covers (the trunk will be the back cover, the leaves the front.

COOK IT | Family Traditions

No recipe this week! Instead share a treasured family recipe together (you can even do this over video

chat!). The older generation should teach the younger generation how to make it.

MAKE IT | Create Your Own Heraldic Crest

There are hundreds, if not thousands of designs for a coat of arms. Lions, fleur-de-lys, suns, crescents,

griffons, stags and geometric designs were all popular. You can look up examples or create your own!

Heraldic Rules of Tincture

https://www.heraldica.org/topics/tincturs.htm explains rules for creating a coat of arms. Or you can create your own.

What you need:

• poster board or heavy paper or a cereal box

• construction paper

• glue

• scissors

• crayons, markers

• tape

What you do:

• Cut a shield out of poster board or heavy weight paper

(the inside of a cereal box works well!). You determine the size, any shape you want.

• Cut a strip of heavy paper about 1" wide and 5" long to make a handle for your shield. and tape it in place on the back of your crest.

• Turn the shield over and decorate it with crayons, construction paper strips or emblematic designs.

For examples and information about use of colors and symbols see these websites:

www.fleurdelis.com/shields.htm

http://www.freecoatsofarms.com/catalog.html

PLAY IT | Will You Buy My Unicorn?

In this variation of the game “Will You Buy My Horse?” one person is the unicorn and the other is the owner. Everyone else sits in a circle and the owner and unicorn are in the center. The owner selects someone to “sell” the unicorn to. They ask, “Will you buy my unicorn? My unicorn is very smart! My unicorn can …” They must suggest a series of activities that the unicorn must do, such as jumping, eating or galloping. The more ridiculous the action, the better because the object of the game is to make the buyer laugh. If they are having trouble with one “buyer” he can switch to another. Once the “buyer” laughs a new pair is chosen.

READ IT | Tall Tales

Tall tales are a type of American folklore where the hero or heroine is larger than life, literally! Paul Bunyan was so big he could cut down forests in one chop and Davy Crockett who carried thunder in his fist and lightning in his fingers! Find more

Tall Tales in the books below or create your own!

American Tall Tales by Mary Pope Osborne, wood engravings by Michael McCurdy

Cut from the Same Cloth: American Women of Myth, Legend, and Tall Tale by Robert D. San Souci, illustrated by Brian Pinkney

John Henry by Julius Lester, illustrated by Jerry Pinkney

Swamp Angel by Anne Isaacs, illustrated by Paul O. Zelinsky

WRITE IT | Fairy and Gnome Gardening

Families will use materials from the outdoors (twigs, leaves, rocks, etc.), to make their own fairy/gnome garden. Take a hike as a family, or even a stroll through your backyard to find materials for your garden.

You will need:

• Small pots, cups, or glass jars

• Dirt, moss, or pea gravel

• Natural materials, such as small stones, twigs, leaves, seashells, flowers, etc.

• Recycled materials, such as plastic bottle caps, straws, leftover craft items, etc.

• Store-bought supplies, such as small toys

Each family member can fill a container with dirt/sand etc. to build their own garden or they can use a large container for a family made garden.

COOK IT | Bean Soup

In the folktale Jack and the Beanstalk, Jack plants his magic bean. In this recipe instead of planting a bean, we will make a soup with many beans!

Ingredients:

4 or 5 cans of different beans (Red Kidney, Black Beans, Pinto Beans, Garbanzo Beans, Great Northern, or any combination thereof)

1 jar of salsa (any kind)

Spices to taste (suggested: cumin, chili powder, salt)

To Make:

Put a big soup pot on the stovetop on medium heat. Open all the beans (don’t drain them) and jar of salsa and dump them all into the soup pot. Stir them all together and add the spices that you want. All you have to do now is wait until it is hot enough to eat, as all the beans are cooked already! Serve with sour cream, hot sauce, cheddar cheese, and cornbread or tortilla chips.