Last week I wrapped up a year-long local writing class, and as I was thinking back over all the stories the kids wrote for me this past year, the ones that stood out the most were their Just So stories. I don't know whether that's because animals are especially inspiring for kids, or whether the tongue-in-cheek nature of a Just So story unleashed their humor and wild imagination in a unique way, but they came up with some really hilarious and inventive "origin stories" for their chosen animals.
Of course, the master of Just So stories was Rudyard Kipling, and my personal favorite of his is "The Elephant's Child." This website has both the text and an audio version:
https://etc.usf.edu/lit2go/79/just-so-stories/1299/the-elephants-child/
Listen to and talk about this story as a family. What choices does the Elephant's Child make in this story? Do his choices have GOOD consequences, BAD consequences, or both? By explaining an elephant's trunk in this funny way, what do you think Kipling is telling us about curiosity?
Then have everyone pick a different animal and write an imaginary story "explaining" why this animal looks the way it does. How did the butterfly get its colorful wings? How did the zebra get its stripes? Why does the lion have a shaggy mane? Why does a spider have eight legs?
Hint: Imagine a time when your chosen animal looked different: perhaps the spider once had two legs, or the fish walked around on land, or the horse had wings. What conflict did this animal face, and what choice did it make? (The Elephant's Child kept getting spanked for his curiosity, so he chose to go ask the crocodile himself!) As a consequence of this choice, the animal changes shape: it gains a horn, or it loses a nose, or it is covered in fur or stripes. How does this happen? Remember, you're making this up! It's not science; it's a story. Make the reader laugh!
Read the stories out loud together.
This activity is adapted from my online “What If?” class. Register here.