Book Bag Activities for
I will Never Eat a Tomato

I will Never, Not Ever, Eat a Tomato by Lauren Child

Summary:

• Lola is a very fussy eater. Carrots are for rabbits and peas are "too small and too green." One day, after rattling off her long list of despised foods, she ends with the vehement pronouncement, "And I absolutely will never not ever eat a tomato." Not convinced, Lola's older sister Charlie has an idea. She tells Lola that the orange things on the table are not carrots, but "orange twiglets from Jupiter" and peas are in fact "green drops from Greenland." Mashed potatoes, when pitched as "cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji" suddenly seem appealing to Lola. And in the end, might she even eat a tomato?

Rationale:

• This book is a good book to read to children because a lot of them can probably relate to Lola who doesn't like to eat her vegetables, and they can learn to make it fun and exciting so they will maybe atleast try them. It is a really fun book with some really cool pictures, and it's fun to read.

Activities to use with the story:

• Before Reading:
  • Have the students write a story about their favorite foods, then share them in class. This will be how I start off this unit, to give them an introduction to foods.
  • Take time to let the students illustrate their book with pictures and photos of their favorite foods, then share the books with the entire class.
  • Discuss the food guide pyramid and what foods belong in what group.
• During Reading:
  • Have the students keep a journal of the foods they eat for one month or any amount of time you desire, then have them share with the class the different types of foods they ate by classifying them. This would be done after you had taught a lesson about the food pyramid.
  • Find songs that are about food or related to food and then let the students make a song about their own food or make a class song involving all of the foods that they have written about in class.
  • Take the students on a field trip to the grocery store to analyze the different foods that they see and what groups each of them are in. Possibly have the manager speak to them about where they get the different kinds of food and so forth.
  • Have a guest speaker come and talk to them class about nutrition. Possibly a nutritionist or someone of that nature. This way the students will be able to hear about what is healthy and how to stay healthy by using foods as different sources of energy and so forth.
• After Reading:
  • Have a fun day! Bring in a variety of foods, set them in bowls and tubs and blindfold the students and have them guess what it is by touch, taste, and smell.
  • Have the students each make up a meal/menu that they feel is something that the class would enjoy eating and that is healthy. Have them research or go through the food guide pyramid to double check which foods are good for you and how many servings you should have.
  • Have the class decide on their favorite meal/menu and then prepare it in class. This will give them a good idea of how to make a meal and how to decide if it is a healthy choice or not.

Props:

• Tomatoes
• mashed potatoes
• carrots
• peas

Bibliography of other related books:

• Allie the Allergic Elephant : A Children's Story of Peanut Allergies by Nicole S. Smith
  This is a great book for explaining food allergies to all children. My children do not have food allergies but this book did a wonderful job of explaining how serious they can be! My three-year-old was able to grasp the concept that some foods can make other children sick and should not be shared. And my seven-year-old was surprised to learn all the foods which "hide" peanuts. In addition to being educational, this is an enjoyable and humorous book that my youngest child chooses at bedtime again and again.
• The Race Against Junk Food by Anthony Buono
  A fun filled adventure introducing the Snak Posse (Super Nutritionally Active Kids.) These vegi-people get children excited about living healthy through fun and entertainment. For children 9 and under, read how Tommy and the Snak Posse win the race against junk food!
• Zak's Lunch by Margie Palatini
  To Zak, nothing is more boring than the ham and cheese sandwich his mother makes him for lunch. So he conjures up a frizzy-haired, fast-talking waitress who looks remarkably like his mother and serves up a steady stream of yummies--a triple-decker, super-duper cheeseburger deluxe, a pile of fries, a pound of pickles, cherry fizzes, and anything else Zak can think of.

Assessment Plan:

• Each child will be assessed separately on each activity. It will be based upon a points system for each activity based on participation and the amount of work they finish. I will be assessing them by the numbers:

0= Did not participate and did not get any work done

1= Slightly participated and got some work done.

2= Participated in some activities and got most work done.

3= Participated and finished work completely.