Brain Science, Mythology, + Art | Grades 2–6
January 4-January 8, 2027
1580 First Street, Napa, CA 94559
In Train Your Inner Dragon, students embark on a magical, week-long adventure where the science of learning meets the wonder of mythology! Guided by a licensed educational psychologist and a learning specialist, children explore how the brain learns through engaging, hands-on activities focused on memory, attention, emotional regulation, and growth mindset. Along the way, they discover the fascinating world of dragons, phoenixes, and legendary creatures while developing reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar skills through storytelling, creative writing, and art. By the end of the camp, each student will take home an original 3D legendary creature, a personal Mythology Notebook, a collection of creative writing, and practical brain-based strategies to support learning, build confidence, and embrace new challenges.
Train Your Inner Dragon
At the end of the program, each student will bring home:
Brain-based learning strategies explored with a licensed educational psychologist to help children better understand how they learn, manage emotions, strengthen attention, and approach challenges with confidence.
An original 3D legendary creature designed and created by each student.
Hands-on brain science projects that bring concepts like memory, attention, emotional regulation, and growth mindset to life through imaginative, dragon-themed activities.
A personal Mythology Notebook filled with discoveries, new vocabulary, and creative ideas.
A collection of original writing that builds sentence skills, storytelling, and writing confidence.
A growing foundation of knowledge about mythology, folklore, legendary creatures, and how the brain learns.
Best for
2nd-6th Grade students
Dates
January 4-January 8, 2027
9:00-noon
Location
1580 First Street, Napa, CA 94559
About the Curriculum
-
The main text for this unit is “Legendary Creatures” by Adam Auerbach. Additional texts and supporting documents will be selected to support students in building background knowledge and vocabulary.
-
Students learn new vocabulary in the context of the myths, stories, and ideas they explore. Through discussion, games, context clues, and word study, they'll uncover word meanings and put new words to use in their own speaking and writing. New vocabulary is recorded in each student's Mythology Notebook, creating a growing collection of words and knowledge they'll revisit throughout the program.
-
Using principles from The Writing Revolution, students build stronger writing by working directly with sentences. Through playful, meaningful practice, they'll experiment with sentence types, conjunctions, fragments, complete thoughts, and sentence expansion—using what they learn to write about the myths, creatures, and ideas they discover.
-
Students build background knowledge by exploring legendary creatures and the myths, histories, and cultures behind them. Through engaging texts, discussion, research, and hands-on activities, they'll discover how stories reflect the people, places, and ideas that shaped them—and record their learning in their Mythology Notebook.
-
Throughout the week, students apply their learning on brain science to creative projects. Students bring their learning to life by designing and building an original 3D legendary creature.
-
Neuroplasticity, Amygdala & Regulation, Working Memory, Attention, Growth Mindset, Sensory Processing, Metacognition, & more!
In Train Your Inner Dragon, students explore the science of how their brains learn with guidance from a licensed educational psychologist. Through engaging lessons and hands-on, dragon-themed projects, they'll discover concepts such as memory, attention, emotional regulation, and growth mindset while learning strategies to support their learning.
Students then journey into the fascinating world of dragons, phoenixes, and legendary creatures while building reading, writing, vocabulary, and grammar skills, guided by a certificated teacher and learning specialist. Through engaging stories, mythology, playful writing, and hands-on art, they'll explore folklore and create imaginative worlds of their own.