P is for Pizza

We are off to a good start this week. I stayed up way too late last night getting some things ready for today, but it ended up being a lot of fun. Today, we had a great P is for Pizza day. Lots of counting and creating and we ended up with yummy homemade pizzas for lunch!

• Read “The Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)” by Philemon Sturges … I thought this was a cute story. The little red hen has run out of bread and decides to make a pizza. The cat, dog and duck follow the traditional tale and refuse to help. The ending has a new twist where the hen actually shares her pizza.

• Build “P is for PIZZA” … my kids love using this Letter Construction Set.
  1. Set up all of your pizza books for the kids to see.
  2. Help them find the word “PIZZA” on each book cover.
  3. Build the word “PIZZA” with the Letter Construction Set. Available here. Instruction cards that come with the set have directions for upper and lower-case letters.

• Pizza Parlor Game … after a little prep the night before, this was a fun game.
  1. Cut out several pizza crusts by tracing a small bowl or plate on orange foam craft paper.
  2. Cut out pizza sauce by tracing the same bowl or plate on red foam craft paper and cutting out in a slightly smaller wavy circle shape.
  3. Cut out your choice of pizza toppings from foam craft paper! We used:
     • cheese = yellow
     • pepperoni (or canadian bacon) = pink
     • olives = black
     • green bell peppers = green
     • mushrooms = white
  4. Make a “Pizza Menu” or print out the one I made here!
  5. Laminate your menu and cut it in half (so you have 2 menus). I use this Scotch laminator and love it.
  6. HOW TO PLAY:
     • Welcome your kids to your Preschool Pizza Parlor!
     • I started with all of the toppings in a big pile and they sorted them into this veggie tray.
     • Tell them that their first customer has arrived! Show them the menu and fill in the number of toppings you would like. I use Crayola Dry Erase Crayons. Seriously, the best and they’re washable!
       • NOTE: they also liked it when I just put an ‘X’ next to the toppings I wanted and they could put as much or as little on as they wanted.
     • Have them follow the menu and count out that many toppings.
     • Make a big deal about checking your pizza and gobbling it up when they’re done.

• Make homemade pizzas for lunch! … we were all hungry by lunchtime and this was the perfect meal.
  1. Let the kids help prepare your favorite pizza dough recipe. We used our go-to recipe and cut it in half.
  2. Give each of the kids their own ball of dough. Put a little flour on the table and help them roll it, squish it or stretch it out into a pizza shape.
  3. Transfer the dough to a baking sheet.
  4. Let the kids spread pizza sauce and choose the toppings they like. My 4-year-old wanted plain cheese. My 2-year-old likes olives and mini pepperoni. I had all of the above, plus orange bell peppers. Mmmm.

• Peg’s Pizza Place … a fun pizza game while we waited for our pizzas to cook!
1. Play Peg’s Pizza Place on PBSkids.org
2. The kids follow the directions to make simple pizzas.
3. They are also introduced to simple fractions. 

• Fruit Pizza … this was our treat after our family night this evening. Half of it was eaten before I remembered to take a picture A perfect way to end our P is for Pizza day.
1. Make a sugar cookie crust (or use store-bought sugar cookie dough!)
2. Mix 8 oz. cream cheese, ½ cup sugar (I used powdered sugar) and 1½ tsp. vanilla. Spread on cooled crust.
3. Top with sliced fruit.
4. TIP: The best tip I read was to slice the frosted crust before putting the fruit on. So much easier (and prettier) than trying to slice through all the fruit!

Pizza

   

• Great Pizza Books!
  1. My kids love Pizza Pat by Rita Golden Gelmen. It has a similar format to “This is the House that Jack Built” … I love the descriptive words they use.
  2. Pete’s a Pizza by William Steig. On a rainy day, Pete’s dad makes Pete into a pizza!

• Pizza Parlor Play
  1. Use foam craft paper to cut out pizza toppings (green peppers, black olives, red pepperoni, yellow shredded cheese, white mushrooms).
  2. Gather a pizza pan, plastic utensils, rolling pin, apron and plates.
  3. Make a simple menu by folding a piece of cardstock in half. Glue and label one of each of your foam pizza topping inside.
  4. Let the kids use a pad of paper and pencil to pretend taking orders from the menu, making, serving and eating the pizza!
  5. NOTE: for more fun, grab a couple of clean, empty pizza boxes (smaller sizes) from a local pizza parlor. Let the kids make their pizzas in the boxes, close them up and deliver to their customers!
• Work together to make a Pizza!
  1. Cut out a large round circle “pizza crust”
  2. Work together with your preschooler to build a yummy pizza.
  3. Paint it red for pizza sauce.
  4. Snip yellow or white yarn into pieces and add as cheese.
  5. Add ham (pink squares or triangles)
  6. Add pepperoni buttons.
  7. Add anything else you or your preschooler can come up with!
  8. Slice up at the end of the day and let everyone have a piece.
• Pizza Rhyme!
  1. Make a simple paper pizza (or use the one from above once it’s dry)
  2. Cut it into 6 pieces (or however many you like).
  3. Repeat the rhyme, removing one slice each time!

6 pieces of pizza tasty as can be,
(child's name) can eat a slice
and leave some for me.

5 pieces of pizza tasty as can be,
(child's name) can eat a slice
and leave some for me.

[continue counting down]

1 piece of pizza tasty as can be,
(child's name) can eat a slice
and leave none for me.

Yum, Yum, that was fun!
We love a pizza party!

• Pizza Parachute
  1. Use a parachute as a big pizza (or simply a brown sheet or blanket).
  2. Throw on meat balls (small balls), pepperoni (red paper plates) and cheese (white or yellow bean bags).
  3. Try to flip the pizza without throwing the toppings off!

snack idea: mini pizzas

1. Use small portions of pizza dough, English muffins or refrigerated biscuits for the crust.
2. Flatten lightly.
3. Add pizza sauce, cheese and toppings! Bake according to biscuit directions.