Potato Day

Objective:
The students will weigh and measure potatoes.

Materials

• Potatoes (one per student, if they brought them in from home) or as many as the teacher can provide.

• scales (1 per 3 students, if available)

• rulers (1 per 3 students)

• Potato Measurement Worksheet

• Brown paper bags (1 per 3 students)

Procedure

1. Discuss/Review measuring and weighing objects.  

2. Place the students in groups of three and pass out the Potato Measurement Worksheet.

3. Depending on the amount of supplies available, give each group a ruler, a scale and one brown paper bag.  If there are not enough scales available, set up a weighing area which the groups may take turns visiting.

4. Have the students assign the potatoes in their group a #1, a  #2, and a #3.

5. The students should complete the worksheets, working as a group. 

6. If the students are too young to do this activity in small groups, work together as a whole class, or have them take turns working with the teacher in small groups.

Other Lesson Ideas

1. Graph the students' favorite ways to eat potatoes - french fries, baked, potato chips, mashed, etc.

2. Make patterns using potatoes cut in half and dipped in paint.

3. Figure out the price per pound of sacks of potatoes.

4. Carve shapes (triangle, circle, etc.)  in potatoes and have the students print the shapes after dipping the potato in paint.

5. Since every American eats about 126 lbs. of potatoes per year, have a lesson on what equals 126 lbs.

6. Graph the students' favorite vegetable.  (Potatoes rank as Americans' favorite vegetable, followed by head lettuce and then onions.)