Pinkalicious Play Guide

Pinkalicious Pinkerton is an adventurous young girl who loves the color pink so much that she wishes everything in her world were pink! Perhaps the only thing Pinkalicious loves more than the color pink is pink cupcakes…

One day, her mother makes a batch of delicious pink cupcakes. After each cupcake she enjoys, Pinkalicious always asks for another. Her mother tells her she’s had enough cupcakes, but Pinkalicious disagrees. What would one more hurt? Her father tells her she has had enough and that it’s time for bed. Still, one more wouldn’t hurt. Pinkalicious enjoys another cupcake despite her parents’ warnings. She heads to bed, belly full of cupcakes.

The next morning, Pinkalicious awakens, but something feels a little different. She crawls out of bed and looks in her mirror to see she’s turned pink! Head to toe, she is pink–what a dream come true for the pink-loving Pinkalicious! But for her parents, this is a nightmare! First, her father tries washing the pink off in the bath, but no luck. The pink is here to stay if they don’t act fast. They take Pinkalicious to the doctor, where they diagnose her with a rare case of “Pinkititis.” The doctor informs her family that to reverse this case, Pinkalicious must eat green, healthy foods. If she doesn’t, she will only get pinker and pinker! Pinkalicious isn’t excited about this plan; after all, what would be wrong with being even more pink?

On their way home from the doctor’s office, Pinkalicious begs to go to the playground. Her parents are hesitant at first but decide some fresh air might suit the whole family. The Pinkertons stop at the playground where Pinkalicious and Peter can play on this beautiful day with the sun shining, the birds flying, and the bees buzzing…but the birds and bees mistake Pinkalicious for a lovely pink flower!

Once the family returns home, all Pinkalicious wants is a delicious pink cupcake. Her parents remind her she is no longer allowed any pink food per the doctor’s orders and that at dinner, they will be having green vegetables to help her pinkish hue. She pretends to eat her dinner, but she has bigger plans. Once her family goes to bed, Pinkalicious sneaks to the kitchen to enjoy another cupcake.

In the morning, Pinkalicious is no longer pink; she is now red! The cupcake she enjoyed last night turned her a darker hue! But that’s not all; her condition has worsened as well. Now she can only see the color pink! Her wish has come true; her entire world is pink…but at what cost? Pinkalicious must figure out how to get out of this predicament.

She returns to the kitchen where Peter encourages her to try some green foods to help with her Pinkititus. With Peter’s help, as he is the only one between the two who can actually tell which foods are green, Pinkalicious tries every green food they have in the fridge–green pickle radish, brussels sprouts dipped in guacamole, and even celery.

After trying many green foods, which were more delicious than she thought they’d be, Pinkalicious’ body begins to tingle. Much to her relief, her skin begins to fade back to its natural tone. In the end, Pinkalicious learns a hard lesson in self-control and moderation.

STORY BREAKDOWN

In this activity, students will learn about basic story structures such as the beginning, middle, and end. You will need the Pinkalicious book, paper, and coloring/drawing utensils. Gather your students and read them Pinkalicious. You’ll want to acknowledge the three main points of story structure (beginning, middle, and end) and what all they entail as you read. For example, you might begin the story by explaining that we meet the main characters at the start. Then the story’s problem or conflict grows complicated in the middle, which is also the longest part of the story. And at the end, the problem is solved and all the loose ends are tied up.

Once you’ve finished reading the story, assist students in creating a visual organizer for its structure. Hand each student a piece of paper and have them fold it into thirds. Then have them write “Beginning,” “Middle,” and “End” at the top of each section. Ask your students to write or draw what happened at the beginning, middle, and end of the story.

After all students have finished their organizer, discuss with your students what they believe is the beginning, middle, and end of the story based on what they wrote/drew in each section of their trifold. Allow them to engage in discussion and work together to come to an agreement about where everything falls in the story.

KAS: RL.1.7; C.1.3

COLORLICIOUS COLOR MATCHING

In the Pinkalicious series, pink is not the only exciting color! In the book Colorlicious, Pinkalicious and her friends mix primary colors to create secondary colors. In this activity, students will learn about the primary and secondary colors found on the color wheel.

Materials Needed:

• White Paper Plates (Reserve a few to serve as makeshift paint palettes)
• Pencil
• Ruler
• Red, Blue, and Yellow Paint
• Paint Brushes
• Cups of Water (for cleaning brushes)
• Paper Towels (for cleaning/drying brushes)

Instructions for creating a color wheel:

Before students arrive, prepare the base of their color wheels. Using your pencil and ruler, divide the paper plates, one for each student, into six equal pie-shaped sections. Set your students up in small stations where they’ll have access to their color wheel bases, paintbrushes, small palettes of red, blue, and yellow paint, paper towels, and cups of water.

After you’ve prepared all the materials, gather your students at their stations and have them paint three sections of their wheel using the three primary colors. There should be one color per pie-shape, leaving an empty space between each. Once the primaries have been painted, have them carefully mix the secondary colors on the color palette. Instruct them to blend the red and yellow to make orange, then paint the space between the yellow and red spots with the newly created color. Do the same with blue and yellow (producing green), and red and blue (producing purple). Give the color wheels some time to dry while your students clean up their stations.

Once the color wheels are dry, encourage your students to go on a color-matching scavenger hunt around the classroom or school. Ask them to point out the various objects that match the colors on the color wheel they’ve created.

After the scavenger hunt, discuss the experience with your students using the guiding questions below:

• When mixing your colors, what happened when you used too much of one color? How did you find a balance to make the secondary colors?
• Warm colors make you feel warm, like sunshine. What colors do you think are warm colors on your color wheel?
• Cool colors are colors that make you feel cool, like water. What colors do you think are cool colors on your color wheel?
• When you did your color scavenger hunt, how did you look for objects that matched the colors on your color wheel? What did you find?

KAS: VA:Cr2.1.K; VA:Cr2.3.K

RAINBOW ROAMIN’

The Pinkalicious series often explores the importance of emotional regulation. In the series, pink is not just a color but also a feeling representing joy, love, and high energy. Gather your students in an open space where they can move around comfortably. Start by encouraging them to move around the space at a calm, neutral pace. Then inform them that before you begin the game, they’ll be doing a body detective scan.

As they walk around, ask them to identify where they feel different emotions in their bodies. For example, when they are angry, where does their anger live? Is it in their jaw? Their fists? When they are sad, does it live in their chest, their eyes, etc.? Call out a wide variety of emotions and allow them to answer as they roam the space. Once you’ve gone through the primary emotions (happy, sad, angry, etc.), you are ready to move on to the next portion of the game.

As they travel, explain that they’ll be playing a game called “Rainbow Roamin’.” Explain to your students that emotions are often “colorful,” and today their bodies will show the feelings that are associated with those colors. They will travel around the space, and when you call out a color, they will try to move their bodies like the emotion they associate with that color. This might mean yellow is happy, blue is sad, red is angry, and green is calm.  Between each color, encourage them to “shake off” the feeling and return to the neutral state they have at the beginning of the game.

After several rounds with different colors, gather your students together to create a “body map.” Draw an outline of a body on a large piece of paper to serve as the body map. Have your students discuss the colors you called out and what emotions they associate with each. Consider asking them questions such as:

• Were there some feelings that were multiple colors?
• Where did you feel (happy, sad, angry, etc.) in your body?
• What colors were those feelings?

Then color/label the body outline with your students’ thoughts. You can even provide students with their own body outlines and allow them to make individual body maps to show where they hold their own emotions.

KAS: HE4.2.1; DA:Cr2.1.K.b

PINKAPERFECT VOCABULARY

Download and print the activity from the link below to challenge your students with a fun word scramble!

KAS: RF.K.3; RI.1.6

PRETTY IN PINK: A SHORT HISTORY OF PINKALICIOUS

Pinkalicious Pinkerton is an adventurous young girl with a passion for cupcakes and all things pink! Pinkalicious is a children’s picture book series following her adventures, which often involve her younger brother, Peter, and their friends in Pinkville. Pinkalicious was created by author and illustrator Victoria Kann in 2006. Twenty years later, the series continues to publish more books. Pinkalicious has evolved from an April Fool’s joke into an award-winning book series, a musical, and, most recently, an educational television series.

In the early 2000s, Victoria became a mother to her two daughters who inspired her to write and illustrate stories that would entertain them and connect with what they were experiencing in their lives. Victoria states her daughters “loved cupcakes and the color pink and never seemed to get enough of either one.”

So much so that Victoria once played an April Fool’s prank on her family and friends. She sent an email stating that her daughter had turned pink after eating a few too many cupcakes. Those who knew her daughter’s love for the color pink were “very, very concerned.” From this silly prank, the concept of Pinkalicious would be born!Later, Victoria and her sister, Elizabeth Kann, would co-write the first book, “Pinkalicious.”

After the successful release of the original book, Victoria and Elizabeth decided to co-author a second book for the series, “Purplicious.” Victoria would write and illustrate many more books in the Pinkalicious series, including Goldilicious, Silverlicious, and Emeraldlicious, all of which became New York Times best sellers. The demand for more titles would only continue to grow. Presently, there are 63 books in the Pinkalicious series, with more to be published.

Building on the books’ popularity, Victoria and Elizabeth collaborated on the script for the 50-minute stage adaptation of Pinkalicious: The Musical in 2007. Much like the first book’s original plot, the play tells the story of Pinkalicious and her incessant eating of pink cupcakes. Despite the warnings from her parents, she eats too many and gets “Pinkititis,” an illness that turns her completely pink! While pink is her favorite color, it goes too far, and she has to learn an essential lesson on moderation.

Decades after the release of the first book, Pinkalicious continues to be loved by many young people across new media. In 2018, PBS Kids premiered an animated children’s education television series called “Pinkalicious & Peterrific.”This adaptationfollows the adventures of Pinkalicious and her brother, Peter, as they explore creativity through various art forms, including dance, theatre, music, and visual art. It primarily focuses on encouraging preschool-age children to explore their creativity through art. In the words of Victoria Kann, the goal of the series is to “empower kids, to bring out their creativity and to teach kids that anything is possible.”

Once an April Fool’s joke, Pinkalicious has grown into a beloved, long-lasting books series, off-Broadway musical, and popular animated kids’ show. With more Pinkalicious works being released, future generations will get to experience the power of pink!

FINDING BALANCE

In LCT’s production of Pinkalicious, Pinkalicious Pinkerton eats too many cupcakes and gets a case of “Pinkititis!” The only cure is eating healthy green foods. There’s nothing wrong with eating cupcakes and candy, but it’s about balance and moderation.

Ask your students what they think an “Everyday” food might be. Everyday foods are healthy for our bodies and teeth. They make us feel strong, give us energy, and help us move our bodies when we play, learn, and grow. These are foods like vegetables, fruits, and proteins.

Next, ask the class what they think a “Sometimes” food might be. Some foods aren’t necessarily as nutritious as others but can still be enjoyed in moderation as treats. These foods don’t make us feel strong or support our bodies like “Everyday” foods do. “Sometimes” foods are often high in sugar, fat, or salt. These are foods like chips, candy, and sugary cereal.

It is essential to avoid labeling these foods as “good = healthy” or “bad = unhealthy,” as both categories serve a purpose. We don’t want to encourage guilt with any kind of food because our bodies and nutrition are complex.

Once you’ve discussed “Everyday” and “Sometimes” foods, go to the board or a large piece of paper and split it in half with a line. Label one side “Everyday” and the other “Sometimes.” Have students draw images of various food items. Encourage them to draw 4-5 of their favorite foods or even ones they may not like as much. Then have everyone cut out their drawings.

As a class, go through the drawings and sort them into two piles: “Everyday” and “Sometimes.” Talk with your students as they sort to encourage them to explain their reasonings for the label they choose. Finally, tape their foods to the board or paper on the side with the appropriate label that matches the type of food.

KAS: HE1.2.2; HE5.2.4

PINKAMAZING CHEMISTRY

It’s no secret that Pinkalicous loves cupcakes. In this activity, students will get to make their own cupcakes that double as a fizzing science experiment!

Materials Needed for Fizzing Cupcake:

• Baking powder
• Silicon cupcake liners
• Assorted colors of liquid food coloring
• White vinegar
• Pipettes
• Spoons
• Cups

Prepare for the experiment:

1. Place one silicon cupcake liner, spoon, and pipette at each student’s station.
2. Place a cup of white vinegar nearby each station–multiple students can share from this cup.
3. In each silicon cupcake liner, place a couple of drops of food coloring. You can place a single color or put two different colors to mix them.
4. Take your spoon and shovel enough baking powder to cover the food coloring.

Introduction to the Experiment:

1. Begin by introducing your students to the materials at their stations. Ask the students if they know what these items are and whether they have used them before.
2. Explain that our job as scientists will be to add a small amount of white vinegar to each cupcake liner, then observe what happens. Ask them to make a prediction: what color do they think their cupcake will be? Explain that when scientists make a prediction, it is called a hypothesis. This prediction doesn’t have to be right; it’s just a guess based on what we already know.
3. Next, ask the students to make another prediction: what do they think will happen when we add vinegar to our cupcake liners? Note their primary guesses so you can refer back to them later.

Instructions for the Experiment:

1. Instruct your students to carefully fill their pipettes with the white vinegar. They can do this by placing the pipette into the vinegar and gently squeezing until it’s filled.
2. Once filled, have them slowly squeeze the contents of the pipette into the cupcake liner and observe what happens. Give them time to converse with their peers about their observations and whether their predictions were correct. Encourage students to share their observations out loud. What do they see, smell, and hear? They should observe that when the vinegar is mixed with the baking soda, it begins to fizz, revealing the color of their cupcake! Ask students to reflect on their predictions and how they differ from what they thought would happen.
3. Lastly, explain that they just created a chemical reaction. A chemical reaction occurs when two substances combine to form a new substance. For example, we combined a liquid (white vinegar) with a solid (baking soda) to create a new substance: carbon dioxide gas!

KAS: 2-PS1-1; VA:CR1.1.K

MAGIC MAKERS

To begin this activity, students will make their own magic wand following the instructions below.

Materials Needed:

• Wooden Dowel Rods (12 in.)
• Yellow cardstock
• Strands of pink ribbon (6 in. each)
• Scissors
• Glue
• Tape
• Pencil

Creating Your Magic Wand:

1. Fold the sheet of yellow cardstock in half horizontally. Once it is folded, use your pencil to draw a medium-sized 5-point star. Use your scissors to cut your star out–be sure to cut through both sides of the paper. The goal is to end up with two identical stars.
2. Place one of your stars on the table. Grab your dowel rod and place it inside the star. Secure it there with tape.
3. Take your three pieces of pink ribbon and glue/tape them to the bottom of the star.
4. Take the second star you cut out and match it to the other star so the edges line up as perfectly as possible then glue it in place.

Once your students have completed their magic wands, guide them through a game of “Magic Wand.” Have your students hold their wands and stand in a circle. Students will take turns turning their classmates into different creatures or objects. Demonstrate this by dramatically waving your magic wand and saying the magic spell: “Magic Wand, oh, Magic Wand, please turn them into ____.” The group will then turn into the creature/object of your choice (say, a mouse) and act as if they are that creature/object (scurrying, nibbling on cheese, sneaking around). To conclude your turn, you’ll finish the spell by saying, “Magic Wand, oh, Magic Wand, turn them back into students!” This will signal that they must return to a calm, student state. Allow each student a chance to cast the spell and watch as their peers give in to the magic.

To help keep each turn fair, you can have students say the first part of the spell to get their classmates moving, then as the teacher, quietly count to 20 or so then say the second part of the spell to ensure students hear the spell and return to their calm state.

KAS: TH: Re9.1.2.b; VA:CR1.1.1

ROLL FOR CUPCAKE

Using the link below, print off a worksheet for each of your students. Then provide them with a simple 6-sided dice and let them roll for a cupcake of chaotic design!

KAS: VA: Cr2.1.1; KY.1.MD.4

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