Watermelon
!
SWEET JUICY & FUN!
Student Contests
Plan Watermelon Day contests for individuals, classrooms and different grade levels. Contests
get your whole school excited about the upcoming event while encouraging healthy eating.
Give your students 2-4 weeks notice so they can start working on their handmade promotional
materials in advance. Post their final creations throughout the school in the weeks leading up to
your big day.
Contest Ideas
Promotional posters and banners. Let kids pick the size and content or come up with your own
poster and banner requirements. Kids can use poster board, foam core, or colored art paper
(available at craft and school supply stores). Tell kids to include date of event plus any fun activities on promotions.
Classroom door decorations. Challenge classes to create classroom door promos, advertising the
Watermelon Day date, activities, or general benefits of watermelon. Colored craft paper makes a
great base to start with and protects the door. Classes can then safely attach construction paper
or other craft materials to the paper background.
Kid’s watermelon recipe. Give kids a chance to create their very own watermelon dished at home
and bring to school for the ultimate taste test. If you like, provide kids with a list of ingredients
that should be included in recipe creations. Your school administration can judge the final dishes.
J. Slice story. Ask students to create their own J. Slice and Pinky adventures (story and illustrations). Share the J. Slice and Pinky (the National Watermelon Promotion Board’s healthy eating
mascots) adventures with students first. Go to Coloring Books to download and print. It will give
students the character’s backgrounds. Hang students’ work throughout the school or set up a
special area in your library. Teachers can pick the winning entries.
Poetry. Put students’ creativity to the test with a poetry contest in praise of watermelon.
(Nutrition, taste, and how they enjoy watermelon are fun topics.) Post poems throughout school;
let administration judge the poems and award with ribbons or other prizes.
Watermelon
!
SWEET JUICY & FUN!
Student Contests (cont.)
Nutrition poster. Encourage kids to make watermelon posters touting the benefits (vitamins,
hydration, lycopene, heart health) of the sweet treat. Go to Health Professionals to see list of
health benefits you can share with kids before they start creating posters.
Team costumes. Make a watermelon fashion statement when students team up in fun, watermelon
attire. Ask students to form their own teams or better yet, encourage entire classes to dress in a
theme on Watermelon Day. Peers, teachers, or Principal can choose the best designs.
Some inspiring ideas –
Red and green tops and bottoms.
Feature one letter on each t-shirt so a watermelon message is spelled out when kids stand together.
Decorate baseball caps or inexpensive hats with watermelon decorations made out of construction
paper or felt.