What’s Cooking? - Day Three—Mama Mia Pizzeria
An Italian pizzeria is bustling with yummy smells, Italian accents and festive music. Pizza and pasta are like hamburgers and French fries. They are meant to go together. So get ready to do some cooking Italiano- style!!
Circle Time Ideas
Run! Don’t walk to your nearest pizza delivery shop and beg them for pizza boxes, paper hats, menus and other give a ways. From my experience, restaurants are happy to help local schools. Decorate the room with red and white checked table cloths and hang a Pizza Shop sign over the cooking center.
Let’s Talk Pizza!!
I have never met a child who did not like pizza. Bring a ball to the circle and roll it to a child while asking, “What toppings do you like on your pizza?” After he answers let him roll the ball to a friend. Each child can tell his favorite pizza topping before rolling the ball to the next child. This helps the children define whose turn it is to talk.
Movement Game
Pass the Pepperoni
Most kids have only seen pepperoni after it has been sliced. Buy a wrapped, whole pepperoni and use it to play, “Pass the Pepperoni.” This is played just like Hot Potato. Put on some fast- paced music and have the children pass the pepperoni around until the music stops. Once the music stops, the child holding the pepperoni has to stand up and shout, “Mama Mia! Mama Mia! Johnny wants a pizza pie!” (the child will insert his own name) After he shouts, give him a slice of pepperoni to eat. Then, continue the game. Play until every child has sampled the pepperoni.
Good Book
Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza
By Philemon Sturges
This is just like the traditional tale of The Little Red Hen. But, during this story, The Hen gathers the ingredients to make pizza all by herself. She mixes the ingredients together all by herself. And she cooks the pizza up all by herself. But, this time the ending is different because the Little Red Hen lets the dog, cat and goose partake of the pizza even though they did not help to prepare it. The lazy friends surprise the Hen by washing the dishes after the meal. Bring out your copy of the traditional version of The Little Red Hen and ask the children how the stories were the same. Then, ask them how the stories were different. Keep this very conversational. You can encourage the conversation by asking specific questions about the characters and plot differences.
How Big?
Gather some cardboard and cut circles of various sizes. You can have up to 8 different sized cardboard pizzas. Then, use markers and die cuts to transform the card board circles into pizzas. This does not have to look just like pizza. Children are very forgiving of artistic deficits. Tell the children that you are hungry enough to eat a whole pizza. They will think this is very funny. Then, pull out your tiniest pizza and pretend to eat it. Then, bring all of the pizzas out and ask the children to help you sort them according to size.
Another variation:
When you decorate the pizzas, put a variety of toppings on them. You could have pepperoni, mushroom, olive and anchovies. Ask the children to sort the pizzas according to their toppings.
Messy Table
Washing Dishes
The usually lazy friends surprised the Little Red Hen by washing the dishes. Bring a bunch of dirty dishes to the messy table and let the children wash them. Provide plenty of sponges, dish soap, a drying rack, and towels for the children to make the dishes sparkle.
Cut & Color Table
The Most Outrageous Pizza Recipe Ever
Ask the children to imagine the most outrageous, weird, wacky pizza ever. Then, ask them to describe it.
Here is an example of an outrageous pizza I got from one, creative child.
| Dough made from chocolate
chip cookie dough Sauce made from cream of mushroom soup Instead of cheese, pour melted caramel on top Sprinkle with orange slices and coconut Bake for two hours in a warm oven. |
After the recipe has been dictated, provide markers, crayons etc. for the children to draw the pizza on a paper plate.
Another Good Book
Huggly’s Pizza
By Ted Arnold
Creative Art
Finger-Painting Italian Style
Things you will need:
- Pizza Sauce
- Clean fingers
- Large, finger-paint paper
The Cooking Center
The children will make mini pizzas using refrigerator biscuits, pizza sauce and a
variety of toppings. Encourage the children to roll their refrigerator biscuit into a pizza shape. (for a larger pizza, combine two biscuits) When they are satisfied with the shape, show them how to pinch the edges like a real pizza chef. Then, let them swirl the sauce onto the dough and add mozzarella cheese and other toppings. Follow the baking directions on the biscuit can. Serve the pizzas in your Italian pizzeria complete with red and white checkered tablecloths. Add some spaghetti, meatballs and garlic bread.
Outside
I Lost My Meatball
Bring a large parachute to the yard. If you do not have a parachute, use a king-sized sheet. Invite the children to stand around the parachute and hold onto the edges. Throw three red, beach balls onto the sheet. These are the meatballs covered in red sauce. As the children jump and bump the parachute, the meatballs will fly here and there. When a meatball flies off the parachute, put it back on and begin again. While they toss the meatballs, teach them this song. (to the tune of On Top of Old Smokey)
|
On Top of Spaghetti
On top of spaghetti all covered with cheese I lost my poor meatball when somebody sneezed. It rolled off the table and onto the floor. And then my poor meatball rolled out of the door. |
Good Book
On Top of Spaghetti
By Tom Glazer
