🌅 Good Morning!

Wednesday, July 22

📰 Story of the Day

How Chocolate Is Made

Did you know chocolate comes from a tree? The cacao tree grows in hot, wet places. It grows big pods right on its trunk. Inside each pod are seeds called cacao beans.

Workers pick the pods by hand. They take out the beans and let them dry in the sun. Then the beans go to a factory. Big machines roast the beans to bring out their rich smell.

Next, machines crush the beans into a thick, smooth paste. Workers add sugar and milk to make it sweet. They mix it for a long time to make it creamy.

Then workers pour the chocolate into molds. It cools down and turns solid. Now it's the bar you see in the store!

It takes about 400 cacao beans to make just one pound of chocolate. That's a lot of beans for one bar!

💡 New Word Today

CACAO — the seed from a special tree that is used to make chocolate.

Example: "The farmer picked ripe cacao pods from his tree."

🎯 Quiz Time

Part A: Circle the Best Answer

1. Where does chocolate come from?

2. What do workers do with the beans right after picking them?

3. What do workers add to make chocolate sweet?

4. About how many cacao beans make one pound of chocolate?

Part B: Write Your Answer

1. What is your favorite kind of chocolate or sweet treat?

✏️ Start with: "My favorite sweet treat is"

2. Why do you think workers mix the chocolate for a long time?

✏️ Start with: "I think they mix it for a long time because"

⭐ Fun Fact

Jupiter is the biggest planet in our solar system. It has a giant storm called the Great Red Spot that has been spinning for over 300 years!

📋 Answer Key (Parents)

Part A:

A — chocolate comes from seeds (cacao beans) inside pods on the cacao tree
C — after picking, workers let the beans dry in the sun before anything else
B — workers add sugar and milk to make chocolate sweet and creamy
C — it takes about 400 cacao beans to make one pound of chocolate

Part B – Sample Strong Answers:

My favorite sweet treat is milk chocolate. I love how creamy and sweet it tastes when it melts in my mouth!
I think they mix it for a long time because mixing makes it smooth and creamy. If they stopped too soon, it might be lumpy and not taste as good.