A Question of Fire

The legendary fiery breath of the dragon has taken its toll on houses, humans and heroes. As truth seekers, we must examine the possibility of where else– where else could the fire have come from?

Preparing for the exercise:

List the adjectives you would use to describe a dragon during a flaming exhibition. How would you identify them? Peaceful? Calm? Angry or Mean? Compare the list to how you feel if you are in those states of mind. Are they comparable?

So where does the "fire" come from in you? Where does it start? Why does it start? Where would it come from in a dragon? How do you extinguish or put the fires out?

Now go one step further:
If there truly was a fire, what kind of fire? There are some fires that don't burn, but cleanse the spirit of the person. Could you have a fire that tickled people into changing their mood? What other kinds of fire could there be?

What would happen if people found out a dragon’s fire wasn’t a true fire?

Story Prompts:

• What made the dragons use fire?
• Myth application: How did the dragon's get fire?
• What made the dragon's fire go out forever?

Now let's go one more step:
Maybe the fire doesn't come from the dragon after all. Perhaps the story of fire was created for some other reason. Who started this story and for what purpose?

• Example 1: Max is a greedy man who tells everyone the neighboring dragons breathe fire and are very dangerous. He lies so no one will see he is secretly using dragons to work his land so he can go to market before anyone else.
• Example 2: Max is a lovely man who tells the tale to protect the dragons from being attacked, making people afraid of them.

Both of these allow for imaginative play if you have Max's intentions backfire in either story. What are the consequences to both the dragons and the people.

What if the fire comes from fear– fear people show when they are afraid of confronting something bigger than themselves? Tell a story where the fire comes from the people and not the dragon. Why would the person or the group blame the fire on the dragon?

Character development:

Anger is something we all have, but how we handle our anger makes all the difference. Research current options for anger resolving techniques. Present them to the children. Put them into practice when the occasion arises.

Non-violent action is a key character trait of world peacemakers. How can this work for children?

Every Heart: Discussion and do

Will Omani come back?

Omani is looking for a home, but will she only give a place one chance to prove their worth? How could this town make sure to make a place Omani would want to stay next time? Can we always be like Omani? Have your class take a look at what is going on in the classroom. Why would Omani stay here? What would keep Omani from staying? How could you help change those things?

Class Project: Create a dragon Billboard or wall art from the downloadable art. The idea is to build the tail by posting a heart scale every time a good deed is performed. Make a goal to wrap down the hall or around the room. Challenge another class or your whole grade or your whole school!

Make sure the criteria for posting is clear. Have the class draft a list of actions that deserve to win awards. Who will nominate them? How and when will they get posted - maybe every morning or every Friday?

The Dragons inside us: Blue or red?

We all have the temperaments of Omani and the mob, peace and anger. Discuss what brings out the best and worst in all of us. List what sets off the angry part of our personality, let's call it the red category. What creates a mood of peace for us? Can we use part of our blue list change our red list? How can we always try to keep in the blue?

Art application: Have kids draw a picture with the cool colors, blues, greens and purples. Next have them draw a picture using only the warm colors, red, orange and yellows. Have them describe the pictures. Which has more energy? Which seems quieter? Have them do a word list to describe the pictures. With that word list, have them write a poem, story, or a statement about their picture.

You can do this same project by giving a child two identical coloring book pages to color in. Have them use only one set of each of the colors when they do each one. Have them compare as in the above art lesson.

Pointing it out:

Sherwyn makes a quick judgment about Omani's scales, thinking that they were spiky and scary. When he saw the whole shape, it turned out to be the heart. Have you ever thought something was one way until you took the time to look and see it as something else? Think of being in the dark, have you ever seen a large shadow, and then found out it was your coat or favorite toy? Have you ever judged someone on how they look or acted? Have you ever found someone was completely different after you actually talked or played with them? Think of yourself at a time when you were in your worst behavior. What if someone saw you for the first time at that moment, what might they think. Was this one moment a true picture of you?

Art application: What you see, isn't.

Print out the WYSI page, following the folds and cut lines. (The design allows for two different sets of drawings.) Have kids cut out a shape or the first letter of their name, or a shape. Playing with the placement of the cutout under the fold-over flap of the page, artists should look for a way to conceal the true shape of their cutout from the exposed part of their shape. Perhaps the half exposed part of the letter L is a shoe, or road. Once they have a plan, have them trace their shape onto the back panel. Close the flap and draw the camouflaging image on the flap and back panel. Once done, they can then color the entire back panel of the page. The half picture is now ready for its camouflage. Have kids create a drawing that conceals the original letter or shape. Let their imaginations wander and inspire them to see beyond the image.

Maybe this shape is their treasure, how will they hide it? What is the best way to conceal something?

The Hidden Alphabet by Laura Seeger Vaccaro is a good reference book for this project.

Shaping up a story:

Can you make up another story where the top or the bottom of the heart was the only thing you saw? Or where the scale was another shape? How would the story go if it was a star-shaped scale? Talk this out or have kids write one version of the story. You could combine the best of the 3 different portions to create one big story. Be sure to post it!

The three sections include:

• The heart compass: where Omani shows them the purpose of the shape, which is to use your heart as the guide. What purpose would the star show in the story?
• The heart boat: which shows stability and strength of the shape, or its versatility. What else can the star become , do or remind people to do?
• The heart flyer: Dream Makers or Dream Breakers? Here the heart is a reminder that it is not only a selfish aspect, it is inclusive of everyone. Does the star hold meaning only for the person, or for the community? Think about the North star. It is used to guide people.

Say what you mean:

The saying goes, "Don't judge a book by its cover." Can you make up a saying for this story?

Tell it to Omani:

You have just stumbled upon Omani in the schoolyard or in your back yard. What three stories can you tell her that will convince her to stay? What will you commit to doing to have her stay?