Tomato! Exploring Tomatoes with KIds

10 FREE Resources Exploring “Tomatoes”

The tomato is perhaps one of the most controversial of all vegetables, I mean fruits, I mean vegetable. Or fruit? Where do you stand on the tomato debate? The scientific right, or the social left? The only reason to bring politics into this post is because back in the 19th Century a court mandated that a tomato be classified as a vegetable. The ruling stated a tomato was traditionally eaten with dinner as a savory dish, unlike fruit which was sweet and more dessert like.

Why did the tomato become a law case in the Supreme Court? Money, and the 10% tariff tax that was imposed on all imported vegetables. When the Nix family took the port of New York to court to prove that the tomato was scientifically a fruit, they were denied and had to pay all the back taxes from the tariffs on the tomatoes they had imported. The tomato officially became classified under law to be a vegetable.

The tomato is the next topic in the Farmers’ Market series of exploration. If you have been following this series, you are aware we have researched and gathered a collection of free resources for you to explore with your children. We have included book recommendations, videos and free printables.

Books and Tomatoes

Perhaps because of all the fruit and vegetable controversy surrounding this healthy food, there are not as many non-fiction books available as I had thought there would be. The poem I wrote about tomatoes in the Farmers’ Market Poetry Journal packet ends up as a tomato sauce. I feel this is something children can really get excited about when it comes to discovering tomatoes.

I always start my lessons with books. The three books I have chosen are linked to an online reading of the book for your viewing pleasure. Some of these readings are from guest readers, however, there are related books and topics read on my YouTube Channel for your convenience. Many of the books can be borrowed from a library or perhaps you might want to add it to your classroom library. The three books I have picked are Tomatoes Grow on a Vine, Little Red Hen Makes Pizza and Tomatoes for Neela. These books all go well with a tomato sauce theme.

Tomatoes Grow on a Vine

This is a simple easy to read book for young learners about how tomatoes grow. The pictures are nice and it is a good introduction book to share about tomatoes.

Little Red Hen (Makes a Pizza)

Next, I love this version of The Little Red Hen called Little Red Hen Makes Pizza.
“The story of the industrious Little Red Hen is not a new one, but when this particular hen spies a can of tomato sauce in her cupboard and decides to make a pizza, the familiar tale takes on a fresh new twist. Kids will love following along as the hen, with no help from her friends the duck, the dog, and the cat, goes through the steps of making a pizza-shopping for supplies, making the dough, and adding the toppings. But despite their initial resistance, the hen’s friends come through in the end and help out in a refreshing and surprising way. ” – Excerpt from Amazon

Tomatoes for Neela

The third story, Tomatoes for Neela, is a wonderful book about a young girl appreciating her family’s recipes, specifically ones made with tomatoes. This read aloud version was read by the author, Padma Lakshmi. This book includes lovely art of different tomato-based foods from around the world, as well as a variety of vocabulary. The author even included some of her family’s own recipes in the back of the book. Having a copy for your own library could help inspire the little chefs in your own home! The video is about 8 minutes long, but is worth the watch.

I Will Not Ever Never Eat A Tomato

Lastly, “Lola is a fussy eater. A very fussy eater. She won’t eat her carrots (until her brother Charlie reveals that they’re orange twiglets from Jupiter). She won’t eat her mashed potatoes (until Charlie explains that they’re cloud fluff from the pointiest peak of Mount Fuji). There are many things Lola won’t eat, including – and especially – tomatoes. Or will she?’ – Excerpt Amazon

Videos

There are so many foods that use tomatoes. Foods like tomato salad, tomato soup, ketchup, tomato pie, salsa, baked or grilled tomatoes, BLT sandwiches, bruschetta, tomato juice, jam and sauce for pasta and pizza, just to name a few. I have included a wonderful alternative chart to the KWL chart (below) to help you discover what your kids already know about tomatoes. Hopefully these video resources will be beneficial to your lesson planning.

This is a video is about Prego’s Farmers’ Market tomatoes, from field to cannery. This is not the traditional tomato that grows on a trellis, it is how tomatoes, for jarred sauces are grown. There is also a little history of where and how the tomato came to America. This is a video you will want to watch before implementing any tomato lesson with your kiddos. The video also highlights some points as to how challenging farming is and how we are dependent on farmers. No farming no food – yikes!

As I have mentioned before, many kids are fascinated with how factories operate. This is a video of how diced tomatoes are harvested, cleaned, peeled, diced, canned and labeled. At the end of the video the host say’s “the only thing you need is a tin opener and a recipe. Which leads me to the next video, how to make easy pizza sauce.

This would be fun to make with young learners. When I was a little girl we would make something similar to this and put it on English muffins, or bagels and top with cheese for a quick dinner alternative. In the classroom it might be a little challenging to pull off making pizza, unless you have a good relationship with your cafeteria ladies. Really all you need is some Italian bread for dipping once the sauce has set for a few hours. Make it before lunch and eat it for an afternoon snack. I’m sure the kids will be talking about it for days! These simple out of the ordinary activities are the ones we remember for a lifetime.

Lastly, this video will be enjoyed by your students. Is the tomato a fruit or a vegetable. Many young learners will not even realize that this is a question that society would even ask. It is understood that it is a vegetable, I mean fruit!

Additional FREE Resources

The last few resources are from some of my peers at Teacher Pay Teacher. Even if you are not a traditional classroom teacher, any caregiver can download free and/or purchase these teacher created resources from the TpT website.

This freebie is WONDERFUL and takes the place of the traditional KWL chart! When starting the lesson you could show students a can of sauce or fresh tomatoes and have them observe, and then share what they know about what they are seeing. What a time saver and excellent resource to use for almost any investigation. Thank you Little Smarticle Particle!

This is PERFECT to use with the Little Red Hen Makes Pizza. This is a cut and paste activity utilizing a Venn diagram. Comparing and contrasting the two versions of “The Little Red Hen” will reinforce all kinds of learning objectives. Thank you Melissa Moran for creating this print and go no-prep activity!

The final free resource is so COOL!! Opinion writing or any writing makes some kids groan with negative anticipation. They have not had enough practice and get lost in their own thoughts. Well, who doesn’t like pizza? Sarah’s Pizza! Pizza! guide will help your students narrow down their choices and guide them toward a nice writing piece they can be proud of. Plus, she has included a pizza template so the students can illustrate their pizza. Thank you, Sarah! That’s Amore!

If you like these free resources please consider following these teacher creators. They are always developing new and cool things, for you and I, to use with young learners.

Thank you for taking the time to read and explore this collection of free tomato resources. These can be used with my “Farmers’ Market Poetry Journal” packet. The packet contains 10 original poems and clip art for young learners to paste and illustrate into their poetry journals. Click the image above for a free sample of this packet.