Potato Heads (Cross-Curricular Instruction)

What comes from potatoes? Some of my favorite foods... French fries, potato salad, sweet potato pie, and the list goes on. Here is a potato flavor of Cross-Curricular Instruction:

During Guided Reading, I read the stories Jamie O'Rourke and the Big Potato and The Enormous Potato to my students. Then they were given the opportunity to explore and investigate a real potato. Their findings were recorded on a potato book reproducible(Mailbox).

Add a tablespoon of Science: The students were each given a knee-high nylon. They placed their hands in the stockings and stretched them out to form a potato shape. Then three pinches of grass seed were added. Top it off with a small coffee cup of dirt. Tie the end of the nylon. Place it in a small, styrofoam bowl. With a Sharpie marker, each student will write his/her name on the rim. Add a little water and sunlight...Whoa-La!...A Potato Head! Once the grass seed grows, add two Google eyes, a pom pom nose, and use a red marker for the mouth.

Add a teaspoon of Writing: The students created a story about their potato. Each potato went on a different adventure. They did an excellent job with the use of descriptive words! The stories were taken to the publishing stage. Three folded pages of white paper with lines and three staples on the binding.

My students enjoyed these activities! They thought the Potato Heads looked like Chia Pets! They couldn't wait to take them home to give them a haircut!