A setting is a creative decision
A forest, garden, mountain or cloud island can all work in an invented world. None is a verified place where magical horses live. When answering a question about a particular book, look at its pictures and wording before generalizing. “This unicorn lives in a forest” is a different claim from “All unicorns live in forests.”
In the Met’s The Unicorn Rests in a Garden, the animal is shown in a flowery enclosure near a tree. That is a setting in an artwork. It invites questions about what the artist included, rather than serving as a habitat guide.
Choose a home that can hold an adventure
| Invented home | Useful feature | Small obstacle |
|---|---|---|
| A walled garden | A shady place to repair things | The gate makes a sound that scares a shy visitor |
| A cloud workshop | A wide view of the valley | The letters keep blowing off the desk |
| A quiet cove | A beach full of smooth drawing stones | A path disappears under the imaginary tide |
| A woodland clearing | A table big enough for a picnic | Three paths look exactly alike |
These settings are story prompts created for this activity. Keep the problem small enough for the character to act on. A missing signpost gives a clearer starting scene than “something bad happens somewhere.”
Draw a map with just five marks
- A home: draw a circle, cottage or tree house near one edge of the paper.
- A destination: put a friend’s house or a workshop on the other side.
- A path: connect the two with a line that bends.
- An obstacle: add a stream, a broken bridge or a patch of fog.
- A helpful place: add a shelter, a lookout or a place to ask directions.
Use a star to mean “start” and a leaf to mean “rest here.” A simple legend makes the map readable without needing many words. If the map becomes crowded, erase a location instead of adding another. Leave space to draw the character traveling.
Make the home reveal a personality
A kind character might leave a spare cup by the door. A curious character might keep sketches of things it cannot identify. A brave character might have a repair kit because adventures go wrong sometimes. These details give the viewer something to notice without requiring a paragraph of explanation.
For a group activity, everyone can draw one location on separate sheets, then arrange the sheets together. Decide how the paths join. An adult can help negotiate a shared route without turning it into a competition over whose home is best.
What about the real Siberian unicorn?
The animal behind that nickname was an extinct rhinoceros on Eurasian grasslands. It belongs to natural history, with a real geographic and ecological context. Our separate myth-or-real guide explains why it should not be used as evidence for a hidden forest of magical horses.
The blank map and worked bridge example turn these five marks into a ready-to-print activity. For a route you solve instead of invent, try the garden maze with its separate answer sheet.
Sources & making notes
Sources consulted November 5, 2026. Sources support the specific context described here; related activities are offered for further exploration. Our activity prompts, examples and illustrations are original.