Throw Your Tooth on The Roof: Introduction to the Book

In this book, Selby Beeler deftly uses differences in what children do, in the event their tooth falls out, to expand children’s world view and to introduce them to cultural differences based on geography, race, and ethnicity.

Objective: It is my hope that teachers can use this book, and the activities and discussion questions that go along with it, to introduce children to different cultural traditions in the world community. Teeth are just the tip of the iceberg. It is also my hope that teachers use this book not only to highlight our differences, but our similarities as well. Even though we are different, we are also the same. 

This book, which is targeted more towards children ages 3-8 years old, also fits nicely into the Common Core standards for students grades K-3 because part of the Common Core is teaching children about cultural differences.

Has this ever happened to you?

You find a loose tooth in your mouth.

Yikes! You can wriggle it with your finger.

You can push it back and forth with your tongue.

Then one day it falls out.

There you are with your old baby tooth in your hand and a big hole in your mouth.

It happens to everyone, everywhere, all over the world.

“Look! Look! My tooth fell out. My tooth fell out!”

But what happens next?

What in the world do you do with your tooth?

United States

I put my tooth under my pillow. While I’m sound asleep, the Tooth Fairy will come into my room, take my tooth, and will leave some money in its place.

Mexico

When I go to sleep, I leave my tooth in a box on the bedside table. I hope that El Ratón, the magic mouse, will take my tooth and bring me some money. He leaves more money for a front tooth.

Costa Rica

My mother takes my tooth and has it plated with gold and made into an earring for me to wear.

Botswana

I throw my tooth on the roof and say “Mr. Moon, Mr. Moon, please bring a new tooth.”

Brazil

My mother tells me to throw my tooth outside and say this poem, “Lovely birds, dear birds, take away this tooth of mine and bring another one to me.” The birds only take clean teeth so I must brush my teeth every day.

Egypt

I wrap my tooth in some cotton or a tissue and take it outside. I say “Shining sun, shining sun, take this buffalo’s tooth and bring me a bride’s tooth.” Then I throw the tooth high up, at the eye of the sun.

Sweden

I put my tooth in a glass of water. In the morning my tooth will be gone and a coin will be in the glass.

Teeth fall out everyday, all over the world.

What do you do with yours?

We we lose our teeth, no matter where we live in the world, it is important to brush the new teeth that are growing in their place. That is how we keep our teeth white and our smile bright!

Here is a song can sing when you brush your teeth!

Discussion Questions:

1. If you were traveling to another country and suddenly lost a tooth, which country would you want to be in and why?

2. Is there another country or place that you are interested in? A country that you want to learn more about what the children do when they lose a tooth?

3. Do you have to live in another country to do something different with your tooth? Are their children in America who may also wait for the El Ratón like they do in Mexico? Or who also might have their tooth plated in gold and made into earrings like they do in Costa Rica? Why would that be?

4. If your friend lost a tooth, and you got to choose what they did with it, what would you tell them? For example, would you tell them to bury it in their backyard? Would you tell them to hide it in a box behind their couch? Tape it to their bedroom window? BE CREATIVE!

Follow up Activity:

Ask students to chose one of the countries (besides the United States) and give them art materials needed to simulate what the children in that country do when they lose a tooth. 

Examples:

Brazil: Give students materials to make a bird (can be three dimensional). Use a hole punch or glue to attach the tooth to the bird.

Sweden: Have students decorate a cup and place their tooth in the cup when they are done.

Botswana: Have students draw a moon. Hole punch the moon and attach the tooth using string.

Egypt: Give students tissue paper to wrap their tooth in. Once they are done, have students draw a sun. Hole punch the sun and attach the tooth using string.

Mexico: Have students make a rat (can be three dimensional). Use a hole punch or glue to attach the tooth to the rat.

Costa Rica: Allow students to spray paint their tooth in gold, or cover their tooth in gold glitter.

Note:*Teachers may want to have tracers available for students to use when creating their tooth. Also, I suggest that the tooth be made out of card stock*