Have you ever had an ice cream headache? This is a sudden, very sharp pain in your head from eating ice cream too quickly. It can also happen from drinking something very cold too quickly. Read this story about Lucia and the first time this happens to her.
Dinner
The Jansen family is on vacation in Cape Cod. They go swimming during the day and eat out at restaurants at night. Tonight, they had fish and oysters at a restaurant in Wellfleet. Now, they are going to get ice cream at Mac’s on the Pier.
Lucia is very excited to get ice cream after dinner. Her favorite is a chocolate and vanilla twist in a cone. Her mom orders her one and has the girl at the ice cream stand put sprinkles on, too! Lucia is so happy. Her mom, dad, and sister get their ice cream cones, too. Then, they all walk down to the beach. As Lucia walks with her family, she eats the ice cream super quickly. Everyone gets to the beach and suddenly Lucia stops walking. She looks over at her dad.
The Pain
“Is everything ok, Lu?” her dad asks. She looks surprised and doesn’t say anything.
“Are you alright?” her dad asks her again and suddenly Lucia starts to cry.
“What’s the matter?” her mom asks. Lucia drops her ice cream and holds her hands up to her head. “Oh, no,” her mom says, “I think you got an ice cream headache.”
“Nooo,” Lucia screams. “What is it?” Now she looks terrified.
“It will go away soon, baby,” her mom reassures her. “You just ate your ice cream too quickly.” Lucia runs over to hug her mom. So, her mom picks her up and holds her.
“Is she going to be ok?” Lucia’s sister, Isla, asks. Isla is so scared because Lucia is crying so much.
“Yes,” her dad says. “She’s going to be fine in just a minute.”
Lucia starts to calm down. She is no longer crying, but she is still holding her mother tightly. “Oh, baby, you gotta eat it a little more slowly next time,” her mom says.
“Oh, my goodness,” Lucia says. “That was scary!” Everybody laughs because they are all relieved that Lucia is feeling better. Now, she seems much calmer and her mom sets her down. Her dad sees that Lucia has dropped her ice cream in the sand.
“Do you want the rest of mine?” he asks her.
“No, thanks, Daddy.” Lu says. “I don’t think I want any more ice cream.”
Reading Comprehension
- What happened to Lucia?
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- What is an ice cream headache?
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- How did Lucia feel throughout the story?
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Fill-in-the-blanks
Use these words in the blanks in the story
| quickly | pain | cold |
| eating | had | story |
Have you ever _______________ an ice cream headache? This is a sudden, very sharp _______________ in your head from eating ice cream too _______________. It can also happen from drinking something very _______________ too quickly. Read this _______________ about Lucia and the first time this happens to her.
FILL-IN-THE-BLANKS
Now use your own words to fill in the blanks:
The Bogardus family is on _________________ in Cape Cod. They go _________________ during the day and eat out at _________________ at night. Tonight, they had fish and _________________ at a restaurant in Wellfleet. Now, they are going to get ________ _________________ at Mac’s on the Pier.
Lucia is very excited to get ice cream after _________________. Her favorite is a chocolate and _________________ twist in a cone. Her mom _________________ her one and has the girl at the ice cream stand put _________________ on, too! Lucia is so happy. Her mom, dad, and sister get their ice cream cones, too. Then, they all walk down to the _________________. As Lucia walks with her family, she eats the ice cream super _________________. Everyone gets to the beach and suddenly Lucia stops _________________. She looks over at her dad.
Writing
This story is about an ice cream headache. Have you ever had a bad or painful experience with food? Please write a story about it:
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