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Little Nino’s Pizzeria

Language: English | Español

Tony loves helping his dad make pizza at their family restaurant until one day his dad decides to open a fancy new restaurant and everything changes. The feature book shows how teamwork, especially working together as a family, can be very rewarding. Interviewed in this segment is a family that works together in the fireworks business. This book inspires LeVar to make his own pizza. He explains how yeast works, shapes the dough, and tops it, not knowing that additional guests (an entire basketball team) would require him to order out!

Here are activities to do after watching this episode:

Presto Pizza

To make mini pizzas in a few minutes, you will need:

  • English muffins
  • can of pizza sauce
  • mozzarella cheese
  • hot dogs or pepperoni
  • additional toppings
  • baking sheet
  1. Halve and slightly toast English muffins.
  2. Spread pizza sauce on each muffin half.
  3. Add cheese and other toppings such as slices of hot dogs or pepperoni, olives, mushrooms, or veggies. If you use sausage or ground beef, brown the meat first.
  4. Place on a cookie sheet and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese melts. Presto, your pizza is ready!
  

Yummy Tongue Twisters

Try repeating these tongue twisters as fast as you can…

  • Carl couldn’t cut Cathy’s cooked carrots.
  • Gary ‘s grandmother grows green grapes in her garden.
  • Fran’s friend Freddie fries flat flounder.
  • Hungry Henry happily had Harry’s hamburger.
  • John got juice and jelly on his jacket when Judy jumped on him.
  • Betty Botter bakes brown bread for breakfast.
  • Mario’s Mama makes marvelous meatballs.

Kids in the Kitchen

There are some things even the youngest “chef-want-to-be” can do in the kitchen. Try having your youngest family members help by engaging in some of these activities:

  • As adults read the recipe aloud, preschoolers can do "rough” wet and dry measurements using measuring cups and spoons. They can mix ingredients in a large bowl, use a plastic serrated knife to cut soft foods, and help decorate cookies and cupcakes.
  • Kindergarten and first-grade age children can help read a recipe, measure and use a wooden spoon or wire wisk to mix ingredients, knead bread dough, flatten pizza dough, help fill cupcake tins, set a timer, decorate desserts.
  • Second and third-grade age children can help read a recipe and write a shopping list for ingredients, help plan a meal using all food groups, help search on the internet for recipes, follow recipes, help wash and dry dishes or load the dishwasher.

Check out some of these books on your
next trip to the library:

  • Eats: Poems by Arnold Adoff
  • What Happens To A Hamburger by Paul Showers
  • The Popcorn Book by Tomie dePaola

READING RAINBOW has a resource library that includes teacher guide materials as well as reading programs for use in the public libraries. You can download these resources from GPN at:
www.gpnresources.com

If you would like more information about READING RAINBOW or if you would like to learn more about other educational products please visit the GPN web site.

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