Little Nino's Pizzeria | FI♥AR with Bo

 - Boaz is 6 years old-


We love Playmobil in our home. They are timeless quality toys that inspire hours of imaginary play and bring joy to my children. I buy Playmobil online directly from the company, but I wait for a 20% off coupon to order, and I put them up once they come to save for birthdays, special occasions, and even school. So, I couldn't resist the Pizza Baker and Pizzeria to go along with Little Nino's Pizzeria


The kids created Playmobil scenes for almost all the scenes in the book. They have the long line that people stood in because Little Nino's pizza was so good and their place so small. They have Little Nino in the kitchen making pizza because he is happiest when he is making pizza, and Little Tony is in the kitchen helping, serving pizza to tables, or bringing pizza to the homeless people in the alley behind the pizzeria. 






They took several more pictures including the scene when the man from Big Nino's visits Little Nino and when Little Nino comes home and tells them he wants to make pizza again. 



Making Pizza 

I really wasn't ready to row this book because I'm not eating grains and what fun is a row about pizza if I can't eat pizza? But, I finally gave in after much pleading from Bo and Elli both and decided we could make a GAPS pizza from The Heal Your Gut Cookbook. Even on plan with Trim Healthy Mama I didn't like breads from coconut flour or almond flour, so I haven't been willing to try any of the GAPS approved "breads" but this one wasn't too bad and my kids were happy to have pizza any way.

We used the recipe from the cookbook, uncured turkey pepperoni, black olives, fresh mozzarella (not GAPS approved), and homemade meat sauce, and the kids made their own little pizzas.



Ready for the oven. 

Today we did the pizza story problems from HSS.

The illustrations in Little Nino's Pizzeria are gouache with watercolor, so today we did a gouache painting from Creating a Masterpiece called Granny's Crabapples. 

We applied a layer of gesso to an illustration board, created a texture, and let it dry. 


After it dried, we painted the background with gouache paints watered down. We tilted the illustration board so the colors would run together and used a hair dryer for a more interesting effect and to help it dry. 




The kids loved this! We studied the background of the paintings in Little Nino's Pizzeria, too, and noticed the swirls of watercolor and white spaces. 


After it was dry, we used water on a clean brush to remove the gouache paint where we would be painting our crabapples.



After using the paintbrush to apply water in circles, we used a paper towel to dab the excess water and reveal a nice white spot.



Then we painted with watered down acrylic to make our crabapples.





Then added details to create our masterpiece. 


We followed the video lesson, pausing often to let some of us catch up or help others who needed help. 





It was actually quite challenging, but a great first experience with gouache painting! 


Today, we talked about food groups and the food pyramid. Since we began GAPS, we have been off sugar and all grains, and my kids have been calmer and more focused. Before Bo would only willingly eat cereal and toast, and now he willingly eats a variety of things including meats, eggs, dairy, and lots of veggies.

I found this Nourishing Our Children Food Pyramid to be very close to how we have been eating on GAPS, except I only just started adding in fermented, soaked, or sprouted grains for the kids. 

We try very hard to eat nutrient dense foods - those containing high levels of vitamins and minerals: wild caught fish, organ meats (I prefer these in supplement form*), raw dairy, eggs and meat from pastured animals, organic vegetables and fruits, and grains that are properly soaked and fermented to remove enzyme inhibitors. But, nutrient dense foods are expensive and it takes a lot of work to prepare meals, so it is hard. 

*I give the kids a supplement from Standard Process called Catalyn that contains organ meats. It comes in a chewable that is cherry flavored and tastes sweet. 

We did the veggie/fruits chart from HSS aiming to eat 80% veggies and 20% fruit. The kids colored with green for veggies, and pink for fruit. 


Watermelon Fruit Pizza

I try to end our rows on a sweet note, so we made watermelon pizza with a big slice of watermelon, vanilla yogurt, and fresh fruit. I had Bo make it up and serve it in a small pizza box for fun. 



Pizzeria!



So much better for them than my usual sugar cookie crust!

We had a picnic in the living room for lunch on Malachi's birthday, hence the party plates. (We had homemade tomato soup and cheese crisps, too). 

Bo's Narration
Nino makes the best pizza in the world. Tony was his best helper. There was a man who very rich who wanted to make money making pizzas with Little Nino. My dad told my mom we'd be making more money now. Tony went home very sad because Little Nino's was closed down. He tried to help at Big Nino's but was in the way. That night my dad came home extra tired. He sat down, and he said, "I want to chop onions. I want to stir tomatoes. I want to make pizza!"

Bo surprised me one day by reading the book to me on his own. It has many phonograms and words he has not learned yet, but he picked up on the new words after our first or second reading. He did really great so I had him read it to me again to get a video of Bo reading the book:  

And Elli Teaching Boaz Imaginiary Play:  
Little Nino's Pizzeria is a Five in a Row selection from Volume 3.

See our row Little Nino's Pizzeria with Malachi and Eliana. 

3 comments

  1. This is great!! The whole row is awesome but can I just say that Playmobile set is dreamy! And your cashier is babywearing. That is pretty much perfection all by itself. <3 Oh and now I need some pizza. YUM

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  2. LOVE. IT! Oh Michelle, you are such a gal after my own ♥. And YES, I collect Playmobil too! I didn't start until the girls were getting a little bigger, but I have several sets now that I save for little company or grands someday. It looks like Bo had quite a crowd waiting in line for pizza. :) Very fun crafts... I like your pizza box and the pretty fruit pizza. I rarely eat grains and started making a crustless pizza/casserole a few years ago that I love -- basically putting the sauce & all the pizza toppings in a baking dish and baking it that way. You can't pick it up with your hands, but it tastes just as good. Thanks for a peek into your week. ~Much Love ♥

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  3. Crystal, I loved that little touch Elli added with the baby wearing. The little details in the Playmobil are so fun.

    Jane, I love your idea for a pizza casserole! I have been thinking about making a spinach or zucchini lasagna, but a pizza casserole sounds delish. That's so neat that you are saving Playmobil for grands someday, too. ♥

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