Are you aware that International Pickle Week takes place the last two weeks in May? By all means, celebrate!!

1. Explain to your children that "in a pickle" is an expression that means a difficult situation that is hard to get out of. Make a horizontal pattern of a 10" pickle and use this as a story-starter: I was in a pickle when I____.

a. If you have a class, make a bulletin board with your students' pickles coming out of a barrel! Alternatively, make a booklet of these 'pickly' situations and put it in the class library for all to read.

b. If you are a parent, have your children use several patterns to write about different predicaments they have experienced. Then make a pickle-shaped cover and back to create a book that you can call "In A Pickle."

2. Make a pickle card game by making vertical 3" patterns of pickles. Draw 12 on a page and, depending on the age of your children, reproduce the page 1-4 times.

Again, depending on the age, write addition, subtraction, multiplication, or division problems in the center of each pickle. Played by 2-4 people, each player should receive the same number of cards which are put facedown in piles in front of them.

Simultaneously, all players call out, "Pickle!" Then they all turn over their top card and find the answer to the problem. Whoever has the highest answer wins that round and collects all the cards from each player for that round. Continue playing all rounds the same way.

If more than one player has the same answer, those players put three more cards from their pile facedown on top of the first card. Each then turns over a fourth card and finds the answer; if these answers are also the same, repeat this step.

The game winner is the player who has the most cards at the end of 10 minutes or who has all the pickle cards in his pile.

These two ideas come from Merry Month of May, Macmillan Seasonal Activity Packs, Macmillan Educational Company 1986.

3. By definition, a pickle is any brine or vinegar used to preserve or flavor food. Pickles can be made with or without sugar and are usually seasoned with mustard, dill, horseradish, cinnamon, celery seed, or other spices. Cucumbers are the most common vegetables used for pickling and may be either sweet or sour.

This recipe of Honey Carrots with Sweet Pickles is from the Amish and may be found at cooks.com.

Peel and slice 1 lb carrots, then melt 3 TB butter in a skillet. Add 1/4 c. honey, 1/4 c. orange juice, 1/2 tsp grated orange rind, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp ginger, and 1/4 tsp black pepper. Cover and cook about 20 minutes while stirring occasionally. Uncover, raise heat to high, and cook approximately 3 more minutes or until the sauce turns to glaze. Stir in pickles right before serving.

4. Have your children do research to find areas in the world where pickles are popular. What are they called? How are they made?

5. Find out about different kinds of pickles. Categorize them and try to find a recipe for each type.

6. Learn how to make your own pickles and try it!

I hope these ideas are useful and have inspired your own creative thinking.

Freda J. Glatt, MS, is a retired K-6 teacher. Helping others reinforce reading comprehension through FUNdamental Reading Activities, including games and worksheets, is her new educational goal. Visit her site at http://www.sandralreading.com