Mythological Animals - Chronicle In Education

release dates: July 24-30
30-1 (10)
© 2010 Universal Uclick
Fanciful Creatures
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Mythological Animals
Unicorn
These kids use magnets to arrange mammoth
“bones” to form the skeleton of a mythical
giant. They are exploring the “Mythic Creatures”
exhibit at the American Museum of Natural
History. The animal behind them is a unicorn.
An exhibit from the American Museum of Natural
History in New York City, “Mythic Creatures:
Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids,” is on tour in the
United States and Canada. Upcoming locations
include: Ontario Science Center, Toronto, Ontario,
Canada (Oct. 23, 2010 - Jan. 9, 2011); Fernbank
Museum of Natural History, Atlanta, Ga. (Feb. 26,
2011 - Aug. 7, 2011); Cleveland Museum of Natural
History, Cleveland, Ohio (March 3, 2012 - June 23,
2012).
photo by C. R. Mickens/AMNH
Are you a fan
of fantasy? Books
and movies about
strange fictional
creatures often
capture kids’
imaginations. Books
by Rick Riordan
(the “Percy Jackson”
series) and Mary
Pope Osborne (the
“Magic Treehouse”
books), and movies
such as “The
Chronicles of Narnia” and “Eragon,”
take us on wild rides to unusual
worlds filled with all kinds of beings.
Dragons, unicorns and other
mythological (mith-oh-LAHJ-ih-cul)
animals have been part of humans’
storytelling for many centuries. These
creatures were probably thought up
to help people explain things they
didn’t understand. For instance, when
early people found fossils of dinosaurs,
they may have imagined that the
bones came from huge fire-breathing
dragons.
Some fictional creatures come
from Greek mythology — legends the
ancient Greek people believed about
their gods and the world.
A unicorn was thought to have
a horse’s body, with a single spiral
horn growing from its forehead.
Early people believed the horn and
blood of a unicorn had magical
healing properties, and the horn
could chase away evil. Kings wanted
drinking cups made from the horns
so they wouldn’t be poisoned.
Legend said that unicorns were
nearly impossible to catch unless a
young woman was brought into the
forest, where the unicorn would lie
down and put his head in her lap.
This made it easy for a hunter to
take the unicorn’s horn — and so
the animals became extinct.
Pegasus
Pegasus,
another magical
horse, had wings
and could fly. In
Greek mythology,
Pegasus carried thunderbolts for
Zeus, the king of the gods.
Today, the pegasus is a popular
symbol for companies and
organizations. You might see one on a
pair of shoes or at the beginning of a
movie.
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30-2 (10); release dates: July 24-30
Creatures of the Sea
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Kraken
A mermaid
was believed
to have
a female
human body
and the tail
of a fish.
Mermaids were described in
British folklore as unlucky signs.
People believed they not only
predicted disaster, but also might
bring it on.
Mermaids would sing or speak
to sailors on ships and persuade
them to come into the water.
Then they would take the men to
their underwater kingdom and
drown them. Or they might tell
the sailors they’d never see land
again and cause a storm to sink
the ship.
Legend says mermaids are
related to selkies, animals that
could transform from seals to
humans.
Giant squid, or kraken (KRAH-ken),
were said to live off the coasts of Norway
and Iceland. These sea monsters were
thought to be huge and fearsome. Kraken
usually lived deep in the ocean, but
sometimes they would come to the surface
and attack ships.
Experts think the legend might have come
from sightings of real giant squid, which
are estimated to grow up to 70 feet long
including the tentacles. In legend, however,
a kraken might be a mile and a half long
and weigh many hundreds of tons.
photo by C. D. Finnin/AMNH
Mermaid
Next to this model of a kraken is a
6-foot section of a tentacle from a
real giant squid, caught by fishermen
near New Zealand in 1997. The entire
squid measured 25 feet, which is not
considered large for this animal.
Hippocampus
A sea creature called the
hippocampus was legendary
from early Phoenician and Greek
mythology. It looked like a large
horse with a fish tail.
In Greek mythology, hippocampi
were thought to serve Poseidon, the god of the
sea. They pulled his chariot through the seas.
Today, “hippocampus” refers to the small real
creature we know as the seahorse.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Ready Resources
The Mini Page provides ideas for websites,
books or other resources that will help you learn more
about this week’s topics.
On the Web:
• www.amnh.org/exhibitions/mythiccreatures/
funfacts.php
• www.amnh.org/ology/?channel=mythiccreatures
At the library:
• “Fantastic Creatures From Greek Myths” by Pat
Posner
Hippocampi are shown with wings
in the famous Trevi Fountain in
Rome, Italy.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Brown
Bassetews
try ’n
The N d’s
find
Houn
Words that remind us of mythological creatures are hidden in the block
below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally, and some letters are
used twice. See if you can find: BOOK, DRAGON, FANTASY, FOLKLORE,
FOSSIL, GREEK, GRIFFIN, HIPPOCAMPUS, HORN, KRAKEN, LEGEND,
MERMAID, MYTHOLOGICAL, PEGASUS, PHOENIX, SQUID, TENTACLE,
UNICORN, ZEUS.
Mythological
Animals
TM
Which creature
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Mini Spy . . .
30-3 (10); release dates: July 24-30
TM
TM
Mini Spy and Basset Brown are enjoying the
mythological creatures exhibit. See if you can find:
• star
• gargoyle • heart
• ladder
• watering can • tin can • kite
• dice
• ice cream cone• flying bird• letter A • letter L
• word MINI • peanut • candy cane• bread slice
• bucket
• letter H • fly swatter
Rookie Cookie’s Recipe
Spicy Beans and Rice
You’ll need:
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 1 cup red bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped onion (optional)
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (1-ounce) package taco seasoning mix, divided
• 21/2 cups brown rice, cooked
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese
What to do:
1. Heat oil in large skillet; add bell pepper and onion.
2. Cook on medium heat for 5 to 8 minutes until soft.
3. Add beans and continue to cook for 2 more minutes until beans are warm.
4. Remove from heat. Stir in half of taco seasoning packet.
5. Place warm cooked rice in bowl; mix in other half of taco seasoning.
6. Stir in bean mixture. Top with cheddar cheese.
You will need an adult’s help with this recipe.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Meet Tom Hanks
photo by Deborah Coleman,
© Disney/Pixar. All Rights Reserved
Tom Hanks is the voice of Woody in the
Disney-Pixar movie “Toy Story 3.”
Tom, 54, was born in Concord, Calif., and
grew up in Oakland, Calif. He acted in plays in
high school.
His first acting job was in a theater festival
in Cleveland, Ohio. He then got a job with a
Shakespeare company in New York.
Tom has been in many movies, including “Forrest Gump,” “Cast
Away,” “The Polar Express,” “Cars” and “Apollo 13.”
He wrote, produced, directed and acted in a real-life series about
the Apollo space program, “From the Earth to the Moon.”
He is a member of the International Thespian Society, a
group supporting theater in high school. He also supports many
environmental causes.
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
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from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
TM
All the following jokes have something in common.
Can you guess the common theme or category?
Mary: Why did the Loch Ness monster
play the lottery?
Morgan: He was feeling “locky” that day!
Margery: What is the Abominable Snowman’s
favorite kind of transportation?
Mark: The “icicle”!
Michael: What is the unicorn’s vegetable of
choice?
Madison: One ear of corn!
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30-4 (10); release dates: July 24-30
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Fearsome Fictional Creatures
Phoenix
photo by C D. Finnin/AMNH
Dragons are a
part of legends
in many cultures.
The 17-footlong dragon
modeled here,
from the “Mythic
Creatures”
exhibit, is typical
of dragons from
English folklore,
like the one St.
George slays in
a well-known
legend.
Dragon
Dragons in myths were believed
to steal gold from ancient kings,
keeping it in secret caves in
mountain peaks. There are many
kinds of dragon legends and many
fantasy books written about them.
• White dragons
represent purity and
understanding. They
are peace-loving
dragons that like to
help others.
• Red dragons are
symbols of terrible
storms caused by
fighting with one
another at night.
• Black dragons
are the most evil.
They use destructive
ways to meet their
own needs.
• Chinese dragons
are shown as long,
scaly and snake-like,
with five claws. They
are symbols of success
and power in folklore and art.
You may know Phoenix (FEEnix) as the capital of Arizona.
That hot city is named after a hot
mythological bird.
The phoenix is
a fire spirit with
colorful feathers
and a tail of red and
gold, or other colors
according to different legends. It lives
from 500 to 1,000 years.
Legend says that at the end of
its life, it builds a nest of twigs that
catches on fire; the bird and its nest
burn to ashes, and a new young
phoenix or an egg appears.
In some stories, a phoenix can
change into a person.
Griffin
Griffins were creatures with the
body of a lion and the head of an
eagle. Because a lion
• Japanese dragons, was thought to be
also known as ryū, are the king of beasts
heavily scaled. They
and an eagle the
are wingless dragons
king of birds, griffins
with three claws. They were believed to be
are associated with large bodies of
especially powerful and majestic.
water, heavens and clouds.
Griffins were known for guarding
treasure and priceless things. Some
believe the legend began when early
Which of the mythological creatures in
people found bones or fossils of
this issue are characters in your favorite Protoceratops.
books or movies? Are they helpful and
friendly, or scary and evil?
The Mini Page thanks Aubrey Gaby Miller
with the American Museum of Natural
History for help with this issue.
“Mythic Creatures: Dragons, Unicorns & Mermaids”
is organized by the American Museum of Natural
History, New York, in collaboration with The Field
Museum, Chicago; Canadian Museum of Civilization,
Gatineau-Ottawa; Australian National Maritime
Museum, Sydney; and Fernbank Museum of Natural
History, Atlanta.
The Mini Page Staff
Betty Debnam - Founding Editor and Editor at Large Lisa Tarry - Managing Editor Lucy Lien - Associate Editor Wendy Daley - Artist
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photo by C D. Finnin/AMNH
Read about
mythological
animals
in
®
Distributed by Universal Uclick
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
­newspaper on ______.
from The Mini Page
© 2010 Universal Uclick
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promoting Issue 30.)
release dates: July 24-30
30-5 (10)
®
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Standards Spotlight:
Mythological Animals
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each week we
­identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer activities that will help your
students reach them.
This week’s standard:
• Students understand how stories and artistic creations influence the
behavior of people living in a particular culture. (Social Studies: Culture)
Activities:
1. Make a set of mythology trading cards. Draw a picture of a mythological
creature on the front. Write about the creature on the back.
2. Use newspaper pictures of mythological creatures to make a poster. Look in
ads for toys, the comics and entertainment sections.
3. Select a mythological creature to be a pet for five different people in the
newspaper. Explain your choices.
4. Which mythological creatures (a) have wings , (b) are based on real
animals, (c) live in water, and (d) are dangerous to people?
5. Design a mythological creature based on a real animal. Write a story about
your creature.
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 30.)
TM
from The Mini Page © 2010 Universal Uclick
Supersport: C.J. Costabile
Height: 6-1
Weight: 180
Birthdate: 12-4-89
Hometown: New Fairfield, Conn.
Long after he has graduated from Duke University, C.J. Costabile
will likely be asked about his magical lacrosse moment.
Going into overtime at the NCAA finals, the defender won the
faceoff, snared the ball, sped down an open alley and scored the winning goal
to give Duke a dramatic 6-5 victory over Notre Dame and earn the men’s
program its first national championship.
Several times in the past, the Blue Devils had been frustrated in their Final
Four appearances. But not this time. Costabile, a gutsy sophomore, made his
great play in a span of about five seconds.
It was a storybook finish. And it was ecstasy for Duke and Costabile, who
also made third-team All-America.
Away from the field, Costabile and his teammates put in many hours of
community service. This summer he will take a break from lacrosse to study
in Italy for eight weeks.
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 30, to be used in
place of ad if desired.)
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