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Did you know there’s a national holiday dedicated to our beloved snack food– popcorn? Kids will love to celebrate national popcorn day with these reading, writing, and eating activities based on “The Popcorn Book” by Tomie dePaola.
The Popcorn Book (affiliate link) was published when I was in kindergarten, and my teacher was eager to read it to our class. I remember being fascinated by all the popcorn facts I learned during read aloud. Like who ever thought that popcorn could be popped in a clay pot filled with sand?
The best part was when my teacher spread out a bed sheet on the floor, set up a popcorn maker in the center, and proceeded to pop popcorn with the lid removed. We sat around the far edge of the sheet, watching the popcorn shoot out in all directions.
Read about Popcorn
Get a copy of “The Popcorn Book” by Tomie dePaola. Here are some ideas for how to make your read aloud time more interactive and focused on genre.
Before opening “The Popcorn Book,” read the title and ask your child to look at the cover. What kind of information does she think she’ll find in this book?
During reading, talk about the text features.
- The text is written entirely in speech bubbles. That means the boys are talking throughout the book. It’s all dialogue.
- The speech bubbles are unique because some of them have illustrations to go with the text.
- When the boy is reading from the book he’s holding, the text is in quotation marks.
- When the boys are talking to each other, or not reading from the book, the text is written in all upper case letters. Why do you think the author chose to do that?
After reading, ask your child whether he thinks “The Popcorn Book” is fiction or non-fiction and tell why. If your child doesn’t know the difference, this is a great opportunity to teach these two genres.
Discuss how “The Popcorn Book” is fiction that sort of acts like non-fiction. Similar to books like “The Magic School Bus,” this book is fiction because it has fictional characters who are actively telling a story. The twin boys, Tony and Tiny, are making popcorn in the kitchen. One is busy making the popcorn while the other is busy reading about popcorn. But “The Popcorn Book” has the characteristics of non-fiction because it teaches facts about popcorn.
Write about Popcorn
Write a non-fiction book that teaches people about popcorn. Use information from the story as well as information you gain from researching the internet.
Make an illustrated poster describing the science behind why popcorn pops.
Write an acrostic poem about popcorn.
Make a timeline of popcorn from when it was first discovered to present day.
The Iroquois people liked popcorn soup. Write your own recipe for popcorn soup. Include a list of ingredients and step-by-step directions for making it.
Eat Popcorn on National Popcorn Day
Try eating popcorn like the colonists. Fill a bowl with popcorn and pour cream on it. Eat it with a spoon like cereal.
Create a unique flavored popcorn with ingredients in your kitchen. Pop some plain popcorn and then add toppings. Think about both sweet and savory combinations. One of our simple family favorites is nutritional yeast and dill.
Buy several varieties of popcorn (affiliate link) and compare their size, shape, color, and taste. Some options are yellow, white, mushroom, ladyfinger, red, blue, and purple.
Conclusion
Add interest to your child’s reading and writing by celebrating National Popcorn Day on January 19th. Read “The Popcorn Book,” get inspired by some creative popcorn writing ideas, and don’t forget to indulge in this delicious treat! Enjoy!
