Educational

Start with a compelling premise. A strong central idea grounds your world and sets the tone for everything that follows. Fantasy might be filled with dragons and spells, but readers connect most deeply with people. Focus on your main character. Give your protagonist a clear goal, a personal flaw, and a reason the journey matters to them. The best fantasy heroes grow and struggle in ways that feel human, even when surrounded by spells and mythical beasts.

World-building is essential, but don’t fall into the trap of explaining everything up front. Instead, reveal your world through action, dialogue, and your character’s perspective. Plot your story with rising tension and clear stakes. Use the classic structure—beginning, middle, climax, and resolution—to keep your story moving. Your character should face increasingly difficult challenges, leading to a final decision or confrontation that forces them to grow. Along the way, mix action with quieter emotional beats. A great fantasy story doesn’t just dazzle—it resonates. 

Your first draft doesn’t have to be perfect. Get the story down, then revise with intention— tightening scenes and deepening your character arcs. Fantasy is a wide-open genre, but the most memorable stories are the ones that feel real—even when they’re impossible.

Supplies:

• A tall clear jar
• Blue dish soap
• Honey
• Vegetable oil
• Water
• Red, green, and purple food coloring
• Rubbing alcohol 
• A spoon to help you pour the liquids

Instructions:

1. Mix the purple food coloring with the honey. Slowly pour the honey into the bottom of the jar.

2. Add blue dish soap on top of the honey in the jar. It will float on top of the honey because dish soap is less dense.

3. Mix green food coloring with the water. You then add the water on top of the dish soap.

4. Pour olive oil on top of the water.

5. This following step should be done by an adult. Mix red food coloring with the rubbing alcohol. Add the layer of rubbing alcohol to complete your rainbow.

This is a great experiment to show kids how density works and how the layers can be made by having the most dense at the bottom and the least at the top.

For this experiment, you’ll need water, a dry erase marker, and a ceramic bowl or plate.

• You start by drawing a simple character on the surface of your bowl. A stickman is a good place to start.
• Slowly pour a small amount of water onto the drawing and watch as your stickman begins to lift up off the bottom. As this happens, it will start to move on the surface of the water on its own. 
• You can then use a toothpick to swirl the water around and make your stickman move and dance!

This experiment works as a great way to show density because of the ink’s insolubility to water and its low density that allows it to float.