What About Watermelon?

When I was in school, the biggest thing we had to get excited about was when the teacher wheeled the TV into the classroom on that little cart thing. Watching TV at school? It doesn’t get any better than that! Who cares if it’s a 35-minute video about the long-term effects of the First World War – we’re watching TV in school!

If I got that worked up about a half-hour history lesson, you can imagine how excited I’d have been if my school decided to take an entire day and devote it to lessons about watermelon. That’s right, one whole day, nothing but watermelon.

The National Watermelon Promotion Board has a page in the educator section of their website that outlines how teachers and administrators can organize a “Watermelon Day” at their school. It includes a how-to guide (“everything you need to know about planning, scheduling, and setting up your watermelon day”), lesson plans, contest ideas, decorations, fun facts and other stuff. They even offer instructions on how to create your own J. Slice costume as well as some scripts for the school’s PA system.

One script is about a girl who’s putting the finishing touches on her Watermelon Day outfit. You want to know the secret to a good watermelon-themed outfit? Green pants and a red shirt. Don’t try red pants with a green shirt, because you’ll look like an upside down slice of watermelon and everyone will point and laugh at you. I learned that lesson the hard way