Scales by Nicole Conway is book one in the Spirits of Chaos series. In Scales, New York City faces the threat of an ancient evil, and a comic-obsessed teen must use a magical bracelet to transform into a monster-slaying dragon superhero.
Today we’re focused on all things dragons and superheroes!
Click here for a book trailer of Scales!
Art: Dragon Scales Activity | Skills: Creativity, Drawing, Focus, Motor Skills | Ages: Young Children, Middle Grade, Teen
Use the Dragon Scales printable or draw your own picture of a dragon. Hint: there are tons of tutorials online for how to draw a dragon if you’d like to learn.
Once it’s ready to go, design your own dragon scales and tell us their story. Are they reinforced as extra armor? Do they have magical properties? Do people try to steal them to heal their loved-ones? What ways do they give power to the dragon? A dragon is only as good as its scales, after all!
Hint: you can boil an egg, carefully peel the shell, add glue to your picture, and press the shell into the glue. Then you can lightly paint over the shells to give the dragon a realistic, scaly look!
Math: Dragon in the Mud Printable | Skills: Addition, Counting, Problem Solving | Ages: Young Children, Middle Grade, Teen 
Dragon in the Mud is an incredibly fun math game for all ages that practices counting, addition, and problem solving. You’ll just need five dice to get started!
Either print the Rules with Scoresheet, print Scoresheets only, or use a scrap of paper to write down the numbers.
Movement: Mask Printable and Creative Play | Skills: Family Time, Coordination, Exercise, Music Appreciation | Ages: Young Children, Middle Grade, Teen, Adults!
It’s time to get your scales on!
Print a mask or make your own from a paper plate, empty cereal box, or anything a bit sturdy from the recycling bin.
Cut it out, decorate it to fit your personality, poke some holes for the eyes and strings, and tie it around your face. You can be a dragon, a superhero, or both!
When you’re ready to go, you can play pretend, play freeze tag taking turns being the freeze-ray villain or dragon, or play a variation of duck, duck, goose with your new super persona. The sky’s the limit! We’d love to hear your ideas, too!
Writing: Free Form and Acrostic Poems or Storytelling | Skills: Character Development, Journaling, Storytelling, Creative Writing | Ages: Middle Grade, Teen
- Write a poem about how it feels to fly. You can use this template and make a flying haiku, or make a rhyming poem, or create your own structure. Just remember to use all the senses and your best imagination for what it’s like to soar above the clouds!
Think about what superpower you’d like to have. What would you do with it? Write about it. Alternatives could be: write a journal entry from the perspective of a newly initiated superhero. Or write a short story or first chapter of a novel about your superpower or your favorite superhero.- Use the Acrostic Poem printable and make an acrostic poem about dragons! Start each line with the first letter to spell out your message. It can rhyme, be full of imagery, or share informative facts about dragons. Have fun with it!
If you’d like, you can also read the first chapter of Scales here!