Derek the Dragon - 4th - 8th Oct 2021
This week’s story is an original Beanstalk Arts tale, with a story of friendship between two unlikely characters – the book loving Prince Hanif, and the vegetarian dragon, Derek! Hanif was always more interested in dusty old magic books than jousting and polishing his armour, but he was the only one in his kingdom brave enough to face the menacing dragon spotted on the mountains, aimed with a magic wand instead of a sword! It turns out to be a brilliant friendship, Derek the Dragon would far rather sing in the local Church choir than pillage villages, and Hanif can become a brilliant magician instead of having to be King!
There’s no podcast or video for this week, BUT you can have a listen to Derek the dragon’s lament here:
And here are a few activity ideas and things to watch and read linked to today’s tale:
Play:
* If you’re facing a rainy day at home this week, might not make it a ‘regal day’ – put on your finest clothes, get out the table cloths and nice plates and feast like royalty (even if you’re eating pesto pasta!)
Arts and crafts:
* Magic wand making! Gather any straws, twigs, and lollipop sticks, maybe make some cardboard stars and get decorating. You could wrap the sticks with ribbons, washi tape or twine – hours of fine motor skill development here.
* I also LOVE the look of this dragon wooden spoon puppet craft https://www.activityvillage.co.uk/wooden-spoon-chinese-dragon-puppet
Music and listening:
* Here’s the sad song of Puff the Magic Dragon… https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y7lmAc3LKWM
Watching:
* We’ve succumbed to Disney+ so we might watch a bit of Pete’s Dragon – either the 1977 animated version or the more recent live action version (which is FYI, a PG so not for younger or more sensitive kids!).
* For littler people, what about Ben and Holly’s baby dragon episodes? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNfLFEnLOc8
Reading:
* Here are a great selection of kids dragon stories good for young readers – https://www.storyberries.com/category/dragons/
Active:
* Baby Ballet dancing for the palace! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCA3j6aupL7vjhSr6VW6-R8Q