By Karen Donato
HOULTON, Maine — Students at Houlton Elementary School enjoyed a week of potato-related activities in the classroom to tie in with the annual potato harvest in the area. All students were invited to decorate a potato at home and bring it to school on Monday morning to display.
The potatoes were grouped in the hallways by classes and judged on creativity, uniqueness or originality. It was amazing to see how many characters were created from a potato. Included in the show were: fish, nursery rhyme characters, horses, spacemen, peacocks, birds in nests, tractors, dragons, clowns, turkeys, people, astronauts, horses, pigs, owls, lizards and vehicles. Many of the characters were painted and embellished with sequins, buttons, feathers, jewels or other kinds of trim.
For a culminating activity just before the Columbus Day weekend students participated in a day-long event incorporating the theme of potatoes. Classes rotated to different activities throughout the day which included: a hot potato game, burlap sack races, roll a potato barrel, balance the potato on a spoon, read a recipe and sample a potato latke, making prints with painted potatoes and computer activities.
Principal Candace Crane hosted a baked potato luncheon for the staff with freshly dug potatoes and a variety of toppings added to the treat. Although many students thought it was just a game day, there were lots of academics incorporated in the activities and a history lesson on the importance of farming.
