Creature Inventor Team

Work with a team to invent your own creatures! Design a unique habitat to inspire you to write all about their adventures!

• 1.

  In your inventor team, use Crayola Model Magic® to shape several different types of creature heads on short dowel sticks. Marbleize or mix colors as needed. Push feathers, yarn, or other decorative craft materials into the Model Magic while it’s fresh. Use Crayola School Glue for extra hold. Air-dry the heads at least 24 hours.

• 2.

  Make bodies, tails, and other parts for your creatures in the same way. Press a dowel into any parts that attach to the head, twist, and remove the dowel. Add dowels as needed on other parts, too, so you can mix and match them. Air-dry the body parts for 24 hours.

• 3.

  With Crayola Scissors, cut off one side of a recycled tissue box. Color the inside with Crayola Markers as the background of your animals’ habitat.

• 4.

  Think of things that animals like to hide in, around, and behind, such as trees and rocks. Draw these on a recycled file folder. When you cut them out, leave a small extra tab on the bottom. Shape Model Magic into small mounds that are flat on the bottom. Press the pieces into the mounds. Air-dry them overnight.

• 5.

  As a team, assemble animals for your habitat box. Glue pieces in place as needed. Brainstorm names for your beasts and the place where they live. Invent characteristics about each one. Write a story about your creatures’ friends and foes!

Benefits

• Students design their own pretend creatures and places to live by working together as a team.
• Students connect their imaginary creatures and habitat to invent a story about how they live or an event that could happen to them.
• Students participate in sharing ideas and enthusiasm in the creation of the creatures and respond to their peers’ inventions.

Adaptations

• Make stick puppets to act out stories together.
• Create a series of stories, plays, or chapters about your characters.
• Draw a comic series based on the imaginary animals.
• Make a series of animal sets such as reptiles, birds, sea creatures. Compare/contrast the results.
• Assessment: Students will be successful if they work as a team to create their creatures and habitat. Note whether the creative writing includes creature names, the setting, and a description of the animals’ characteristics and adventures.