Pizza Day | JOY for Today

(Updated 1/4/2024.)

Any way you slice it, pizza delivers JOY. The crust smiles at you, the cheese melts your heart, and the toppings are uniquely yours. Embrace this culinary delight with us as we declare:

National Pizza Day | February 9th Annually

Pizza Menu

• Did You Know... Facts about pizza.
• Wolfe Stew Connects To pizza preferences.
• Bible Verses and Pizza Quotes Inspired by pizza.
• Activity Suggestions Learn fractions, cook, note preferences, and hold a family cook-off.

UPCOMING HOLIDAYS:

• National Inventors' Day (February 11th Annually)
• Valentine's Day (February 14th Annually)
• Singles Awareness Day (February 15th Annually)

Did You Know:

1. Pizza, in some form, has existed since the BC's? Flatbread once served as edible plates. On these "plates", the diner would position toppings, and then eat the "plate" and toppings together - like a pizza. This method of eating was mentioned in Virgil's Aeneid. Aeneid was written around 19 BC.
2. The modern pizza was developed to meet the needs of the Lazzaroni (a group of Italians named after Lazarus)? Naples struggled to keep a booming population fed, especially among the most ragged group of all - the Lazzaroni. The pizza, sold by street vendors, was convenient with portions adaptable to any budget: the size of the slice matched the size of your payment. 
3. Tomatoes did not originally top a pizza? Tomatoes were a new food from the New World and met with skepticism in Europe (like the potato). Yet, because they were not highly prized, they were affordable. So, in time, tomatoes became an attractive topping on the low-cost pizza. 
4. King Umberto I and Queen Margherita changed pizza's reputation? Initially regarded as an offensive food fit only for the poor, pizza perceptions changed once royalty tried a bite. And Queen Margherita's favorite pizza was named in her honor: basil, mozzarella, and tomato.
5. America was where pizza was truly revolutionized? While Italian emigrants initially sparked the idea, pizza ovens all over the United States were set ablaze to welcome flavor infusions from every background as people crafted pies reflective of local and cultural identities. And with an average of 46 slices of pizza per person sold annually in the United States, there's little argument that its popularity persists.

Read on at history.com.

We'd Love to Know:

Which fact was new to you?

Wolfe Stew Connects

Truly American, pizza is one of the Wolfe Stew household's favorite meals for an easygoing night. In fact, the Mr. once flung pizzas for a local restaurant. Watching him toss the dough gifted our nephew with his first black eye. Ah... the memories. Our favorite toppings:

• The Mr. craves the classics: plain cheese or pepperoni.
• The Mrs. loves Hawaiian. (Perhaps partially in defiance of a man who always responds with, "No one puts pineapple on a pizza!")
• Our nephew prefers an alfredo or garlic sauce topped with sausage and mushroom.
• Our brother would choose a pizza with a hefty combination of meats.

If you've ever made your own pizza crust before, you know the most finicky part is the fight to get it to rise. Which, coincidentally, is exactly what we are FIGHTING FOR in February: to learn to RISE. If you want to RISE with us, we'd love to have you. We've made a GROWTH for Today calendar with daily tasks to help you RISE toward personal change. It is a struggle, encouragement helps, and it starts when you RISE. Know we're learning to RISE right along with you (and who knows that making pizza crust wouldn't help).

We'd Love to Know:

What is your favorite way to top a pizza?

Bible Verses and Quotes to Inspire

Bible Verses

• "O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him." Psalm 34:8 (KJV)
• "When you eat or drink or do anything else, always do it to honor God." I Corinthians 10:31 (CEV)
• "And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst." John 6:35 (KJV)
• "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness." Psalm 107:9 (KJV)
• "Jesus answered, 'It is written: 'Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'" Matthew 4:4 (NIV)

Quotes

• "Pizza is not just a plate of delicious food. It's meant to be shared; it's an invitation to gather around the table for community and conviviality. Pizza brings people together." - Marc Vetri
• "One of the best things about pizza night is the mood that comes with it. Memories, along with dinner, are in the making." - Kathryn Kellinger
• "You better cut the pizza in four pieces because I'm not hungry enough to eat six." -Yogi Berra
• "Better ingredients, better pizza - it's not a slogan. It's a way of life." - John Schnatter
• "When you experience greatness in anything, even pizza, it spills over into the rest of your life and changes you forever." -Peter Reinhart

*Enjoy even MORE pizza quotes.

We'd Love to Know:

Which verse or quote would you pair with a pizza night?

Activity Suggestions

When you're talking about pizza, most learners will want a taste of what you're offering. Use their love of food to your advantage. Here's some ways we think you can leverage learning with pizza. And when you're done, maybe offer them a slice.

1. Learn fractions with Laura Candler
1. Equal shares discussion prompt
2. Cooperative learning ideas
3. Book suggestion
4. Pizza fraction templates
5. Equivalent fractions worksheet
2. Practice fractions complete pizza orders at Tony Fraction's Pizza Shop courtesy of Mr. Nussbaum.
3. Play with proportions at Pizza Pie Calculator calculates size per square inch (crustless too!) costs per square inch, crust to pizza ratio, and offers presets for Dominos, Papa Johns, Pizza Hut and Little Caesars.
4. Make a pizza with this kid-sized, kid-friendly recipe from Polly Coumos at Taste of Home. (We make similar ones out of English muffins.)

Note Preferences

Would you rather...

• Eat pizza or tacos every night?
• Take a pizza tour of Italy, where it originated, or the United States, where it was revolutionized?
• Make your own pizza or eat whatever someone else orders?

Download this Wolfe Stew PowerPoint for three "Would you rather..." questions for every February day. Or, get it (for free!) at our TPT store.

Hold a Family Cook-Off

Gather ingredients, make the crust, and go! Each family member makes their own pizza. Cut each pizza into small slices and have everyone try each kind. Does one pizza rise above the rest? 

We'd Love to Know: 

Another pizza activity you enjoy with your learners.

We’re excited to share one more day with you and wish you JOY for Today and HOPE for Tomorrow. Come back next week for...Valentine's Day!

Fighting the Good Fight with You,

Sample these related posts:

To pair it with a glass of milk.

To finish the meal with ice cream.

To encourage vegetable consumption.

To top a potato instead.

To cook with coconuts.

Find even more JOY for Today in our monthly calendars, holiday, and seasonal posts.

Image Credit: Fresh Pizza by Cel Lisbosa at Good Free Photos