With Halloween approaching, most kids are getting excited about their choice of costume, their “trick-or-treat” team, and generally look forward to a fun, scary time! Why do kids find these scary times entertaining? Why are kids fascinated by skeletons, bats, witches, ghosts, and vampires? Is this similar to children getting scared and excited when told that the Cyclops who caught Odysseus and his crew would chew humans up for breakfast?
According to some, Halloween and all its imaginary spooky characters offer children a means of conquering their fears in a safe environment; it gives them the opportunity to conquer their fear of the dark, the unknown, the behaviors of others, and the outcome of their own behaviors. It helps children grow up by learning about themselves, others, and the world around them.
The Scary Monsters of Ancient Greek Mythology
The simultaneously educational and entertaining value of these symbolisms and metaphors was well known to the Ancient Greeks. Greek mythology for kids offers an “Ancient Greek Halloween” full of very scary monsters such as the Medusa, the Minotaur, Cerberus, the Scylla and Charybdis, the Hydra, the Sphinx, the Chimera, and the Cyclops!
We’ve included Ancient Greek mythology for kids in Ellinopoula, not just because Cyclops is a scary, human-eating monster children will enjoy learning about while learning Greek, but equally for the lesson of how Odysseus remained calm and used his intelligence to escape great harm; a lesson Homer taught us thousands of years ago.
Back to present day Halloween! Give our Halloween game a try! Boys and girls enjoy “scary” animations while learning and practicing their Greek language skills as they hunt for all the collectibles they need to gain points. There are three different levels that increase in difficulty, but the helpful young witch is always by their side to provide help and encouragement.
