This week I want to share with you not about some place that we went, but about something we did – that I happen to think was pretty neat.
My Big Helper started a book club.
We read books in preparation, choosing a book that we felt we could do a lot with. We discussed activities, thought of questions, and sent invitations.
The day finally arrived.
Four of her friends arrived, aprons and favorite pizza toppings in hand, ready to interact with Gertrude Chandler Warner’s The Pizza Mystery. This Boxcar Children book tells the tale of the time when the children move in with elderly friends to help them run their failing pizza shop – and while they’re at it, they solve the mystery of who’s been sabotaging their business.
After summarizing the story, the girls got to work on their dough. They took turns measuring out their flour and other ingredients, mixing it all up in my Kitchen-Aid. They rolled out their own dough and created their own flavor profiles with the toppings that they brought, pooling their resources. Some ventured away from their norm, and some stayed with traditional toppings, but all seemed pretty pleased with their creations.
Soon it was time to eat. The girls were big fans of their pizzas. It was fun to see them so impressed with their own handiwork! They ate fruit, carrots, and lemonade alongside their pizza for a simple meal. After waiting as I served drinks and put pizzas on plates, we talked about whether or not they would be willing to serve as a waiter, just like Benny did in the book.
Two of the girls got really excited about the different varieties of pizzas available. After hearing about dessert pizzas, they chose to make this Gimme S’More Pizza. We’ll definitely be making this again. YUM!
After that, the girls looked at menus from a few different pizza shops to get ideas for more creative types of pizza. We talked about breakfast pizzas, dessert pizzas, and fruit pizzas, and then they each created their own.
We had a lot of fun learning about pizza! Can’t wait for the next book club event.
What are your favorite pizza toppings?
