The Ringling was honored to lead the first Family Engagement Night for THIS BOOK IS COOL! With 78 families in attendance, it was definitely COOL!
Designing a project that was engaging for all ages and using only supplies that families might already have at home was challenging. With those goals in mind, the “Mixed-Up Mythical Creatures” game was created.
First, we needed to get a little bit of artistic inspiration from our own Ringling mythical creatures! Participants were shown a statue of a Centaur that can be found in the Ringling Museum of Art’s courtyard. Centaurs are mythical creatures that are half-man, half-horse. What a perfect example of a “mixed-up” mythical creature! Once everyone’s imaginations were warmed up, it was time to play the game and make some art!
All you need to play the game is something to draw with, a piece of paper, dice, and ideas of your favorite animals.
- First, make a numbered list of six different animals. Families helped us make our list by suggesting animals they liked in the Zoom chat. For example: 1 – elephant, 2 – lion.
- Next, decide which body part to draw (head, legs, etc.)
- Then, roll the die. Whatever number it lands on, draw the corresponding animal.
For example, we decided to start with the head of our creature and then rolled a two on the die. The #2 animal on our list was a lion, so we drew the head of a lion. The game goes on, filling in the body — legs, arms, and rest of the mixed-up animal. Once it was completed, the creatures were given names ranging from silly to scientific!
It was exciting to watch as the mixed-up animals and their names poured in by the dozens. Everyone, even those who didn’t think of themselves as “artists,” ended the evening with imaginative and original works of art! You can see some of the creatures created by the amazing artists below.
If this sounds like fun, be sure to check out all of the FREE art-making programs we have at The Ringling! You can learn more at this link FREE Family Programs or join our Family Programs Facebook Group.
Register here SCGLR’s next FREE Family Engagement Night happing June 21 featuring origami artist Kuniko Yamamoto!
Thank you to SCGLR and The Patterson Foundation for inviting us to this spectacular event.
