Super Special Bananas

Bananas are an awesome source of potassium and other vitamins, but they aren't everyone's favorite lunchtime treat. Inscribing the skins (without any markers or pens!) and magically pre-slicing them before packing them up alongside the peanut butter and jelly helps ensure that they'll get eaten, and that they'll make someone feel extra special.


You'll Need. . .

• Banana - try to pick ones with even-toned skins that haven't been bruised much and aren't too dark (dark spots will make your messages harder to read)
• A toothpick
• A straight pin or sewing needle

How To

1. Decide what you'd like your extra-special message to be
2. Using your toothpick, etch the message into the skin. You don't want to break the surface of the skin or puncture the fruit, but you should be able to see a slight indentation where you've written
3. Wait 5-10 minutes for your message to magically appear¹
4. Gently insert the pin or needle through the skin of the banana. It's best to pick a point where there is already a brown spot to help hide the evidence
5. Move the pin back and forth through the fruit inside, but be careful not to break through the skin
6. Repeat the process in a few other spots along the banana to make several slices
7. Pack up the awesomely inscribed and pre-sliced banana with the rest of the brown-bag goodies!²

¹_{Nerdy Note: How does it work? Banana peels can be used to help make bruises fade more quickly, but they also get bruised pretty easily. Keeping bananas in a cold place (like the freezer if you're getting ready to make banana bread) results in "chilling injury" and can make them brown up, but so can getting bumped around. By writing on the surface of the peel, you're actually damaging some of the cells, which then turn brown (also called "skin abrasions").}
²_{The best way to open a banana is just how chimpanzees and other non-human primates do - from the stubby end instead of the long-stemmed end. Give it a shot!}