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      • visualizing
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    • word consciousness
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the papaya: totally new for our family fruit

home / Activities / cooking / new for us foods / the papaya: totally new for our family fruit
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the papaya new for us fruit coverWe are always looking for new and exciting things to try over here, and this week, though it may seem boring, normal, average and everyday to your family, we tried a totally new-for-us fruit.

The papaya.

That’s right. The papaya is a totally new for our family fruit.

That oblong, greenish-yellowish, heavy, strange-looking fruit.

Maddy spotted it on a recent shopping trip, and said, Mommy! We have to get this. We have to try a papaya. It looks so. . . weird.

How could I argue her logic?

And so our family began 2013 by trying this tropical wonder, and it resulted in a wee bit of research, some reading, watching, trying, and reflecting.

Some serious, on-the-fly learning in our every day.

Here’s the skinny. . .

  • The Papaya–Totally New-For-Our-Family Fruit: It was surprising to Maddy and me just how many people commented on the papaya in our cart:

What is that thing?

What are you going to do with that?

Wow! Looks like you two will be busy today!

papaya new for us fruit

The papaya: in all of its long, greenish, yellowish, squishiness.

Granted, Maddy stuck it in the spot where flowers are supposed to sit, so it did look a little strange–even to us. But the conversation-starter with strangers in the grocery store clued us into the fact that we did have a strange and unusual fruit on our hands!

It made the pricetag (gulp! A tropical fruit in the winter in Marland?) a little easier to take.

papaya new for us fruit

When we got home, she buzzed to the computer. We have to research how to cut the papaya! We can’t totally wreck it like we did with our mango!

So after we unloaded the groceries, ate lunch, and did a few other things, we did our research. It was actually very funny to have this crazy, new fruit on our countertop for a few hours.

It made the kids curious: What do you think it tastes like? Wonder if it’s sweet? Maybe crunchy like an apple? I bet it’s so juicy. . .

We hopped on google and talked about what key words we could use for our search.

I think let’s just do ‘how to cut a papaya’, said Maddy.

And that’s what we did.

papaya new for us fruit- seeds

Papayas have some serious seed action going on. . .

papaya new for us fruit  seeds

. . . and gosh they are strong-tasting! So peppery!

We landed on Jeannette’s Healthy Living How to Cut a Papaya into Chunks, and we also learned a little bit about papayas along the way:

  • Who knew the papaya was considered a power food?
  • That it was packed with vitamin C and A and E?
  • That it was high in folate, potassium, fiber and vitamin K?
  • That it contains several unique protein-digesting enzymes?

So exciting!ย  Now all it had to do was taste great, and we’d have a brand-new fruity bff!

We followed her lead by cutting the papaya half and scooping out the seeds.ย  Maddy, Owen, and Cora each held seeds, squished and squeezed the seeds, and tried the peppery seeds. (Good thing we had drinks on hand! They are really peppery!)

papaya new for us fruit slices

We cut the papaya in quarters. . .

papaya new for us fruit skin

. . . and then sliced off the skin.

papaya new for us fruit chunks

Then we cut into big chunks and dug in.

I cut the long slices into chunks, and the kids–and I!–couldn’t wait to try it.

And. . .

papaya new for us fruit chunks

Man, what a disappointment.

Not at all sweet. Not at all juicy and yum like we all hoped and imagined.

It. . . tastes like nothing, Maddy said. Or kind of like a– tomato?

Cora said, It’s squishy and tastes like water.ย  And then she spit it into the sink.

I want to like it, said Owen. But it is so strange in my mouth. Yeah, Maddy–like something with a taste of nothing.

And I whole-heartedly agreed. Our papaya had a grainy texture–kind of like a ripe tomato–but didn’t have the fresh, sweet, tropical taste we had hoped for.

Let’s try it with a little lime on top! I tried. Like on the website?

But the kids wouldn’t buy it. I think one kid gave it a go but spit the papaya chunk with lime into the sink.

It’s beautiful when cut–I love the color–but man. Not a winner.

papaya shakes -

The winner? Papaya in our breakfast smoothie.ย  With vanilla yogurt and other good stuff thrown in.

However, in smoothies the next day at breakfast, the papaya stole the show.ย  Though it was a really hard sell.

With a little vanilla yogurt, a banana, a splash of orange juice, and about 1 1/2 cups of our papaya chunks, the kids loved it. We all agreed that the papaya really seemed to lighten the smoothie–gave it a fresh taste and a smooth texture.

Want to know how you can get your kids to be excited to try new foods? Check out How to Get Your Kids to Try New Foods.ย  Happy eating!

And that’s it. new for us friday

Just some fun, sneaky learning to kick off the new year while trying a little something new for our family.

We are always, always, always looking for new and exciting things to try! In fact, our goal is weekly to try one new thing–whether it’s food, crafts, activities, events, toys, thinking, programming, you name it.

It’s our New For Us Friday tag, and if ever you have an idea for us, please give us a shout.

Or check out our pinterest board: neat-0, fun, NEW things for us to try board. Packed with our ideas for the year!

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About amy mascott

teacher, mother, dreamer. lover of literacy, fun learning, good food, and three crazy-cool kids. finder of four-leaf clovers | dc metro ยท http://about.me/amymascott
tweet with me: @teachmama

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Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

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For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

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(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

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#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
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Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

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So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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Oh HEEEEEYYY, @luvvie โ€” did you see that @littletroublemaker made our hallway bulletin board? ๐Ÿ˜‰โ™ฅ๏ธ

(Itโ€™s what Rusty the ๐ŸฆŠ is currently reading.) 

Find it at your favorite bookstore or order here: https://amzn.to/3Pu3tWs

(This is my affiliate link, so when you use it, I will earn a small percentage of the sale, at no additional cost to you. Thank you for using my link and supporting my small business!)

#readingteacher #raiseareader #kidlit #bestbooks #linkinbio
View
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How can people with dyslexia learn to read? ๐Ÿค”

Here are the 3๏ธโƒฃ elements that reading instruction should contain in order to be most effective for students with dyslexiaโ€”

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #readingteacher #teachreading #dyslexiaawareness
View
Open
Lately when I find four leaf clovers, Iโ€™ve been leaving them. ๐Ÿ€๐Ÿคท๐Ÿผโ€โ™€๏ธ

So if youโ€™re in Maryland, and you happen upon a lonely, little 4-leafer with very little grass, weeds, or leaves around it, I donโ€™t know WHO tried to set you up for success.

#yougotthis #keepyoureyesopen #itsthelittlethings #kilpattyluck
View
Open
Okayโ€”how do we know if someone has dyslexia? 

Which professionas are able to make that important determination? 

โ–ถ๏ธ Watch to find out. 

Hit me with the questions you still have about dyslexiaโ€”and know we have a few more posts to go!

#demystifyingdyslexia #raiseareader #teachreading #readingteachersofig
View
Open
What are some of the common signs of dyslexia?

Watch to learn and find out!

#demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading #dyslexia
View
Open
True โœ… or false โŒ?

#demystifyingdyslexia #dyslexiaeducation #readingteacher #raiseareader #teachreading
View
Open
What do you know about dyslexia? 

What questions do you have about dyslexia? 

For the next few weeks leading up to my own start to the school year I am sharing a new series called โ€œDe-Mystifying Dyslexiaโ€ and I would love for you to join me! 

Follow in my stories or on the highlight above!

#dyslexia #teading  #readingteacher #raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia
View
Open
(Part 2) 

The series will be shared on IG stories, on tiktok, on the teachmama facebook page, and in the Take 5 newsletter. 

Look for the logo on social, and if you want to receive the whole thing via email, then sign up for Take5 on the link below. 

Iโ€™m really excited about this. Itโ€™s taken a long, long time to create, and the only thing I ask is that you, once viewing it all, could take 2 minutes to give me some feedback. There will be a google form on the last of the slides, at the end of the series. I thank you, I appreciate you, and I look forward to learning along with you.

Join the Take 5 list if you want this series to land in your inbox: 
https://take5.teachmama.com/

#raiseareader #demystifyingdyslexia #readingteacher teachersofIG dyslexia teachreading
View
Open
Hi and thank you for your interest in watching my โ€˜de-mystifying dyslexiaโ€™ series. 

My name is Amy Mascott, and Iโ€™m a reading specialist and former high school English teacher. Iโ€™m also the creator of teachmama.com  where since 2008, Iโ€™ve helped families make meaningful connections with their kids and build bridges between home and school. 

As an educator, Iโ€™m always trying to share important informationโ€”bc I really think that when we know better, we do better. This series is part of my final project for a course Iโ€™m taking through Advancement Courses called โ€˜understanding dyslexiaโ€™. 

And as a reading teacher, I need to know all I can about this condition. What I realized is that I had a lot to learnโ€”maybe you, as a parent or teacher yourself, can also stand to learn a little bit. 

Maybe, like me, youโ€™ve grown up thinking that dyslexia was a condition where people read letters backwardsโ€”b for d or p for g? Maybe you thought, like I did, that if a person was dyslexic, they saw all of the letters jumbled together on the page? Iโ€™m here to tell you that both of those things are untrue. 

So if you would like to learn a little about dyslexiaโ€”if you would like for me to โ€˜de-mystify dyslexiaโ€™ for you, then follow along! 

(Continued on next VIDEO)

#readingteacher #teachersofIG #demystifyingdyslexia

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