Exploring Potatoes

The kids are on spring break this week, but before they left I got a chance to plant some flowers and chard at some of the centers. I also brought in some potatoes that Carla donated, which had been sprouting at her house for a while- many had sprouts about a foot long already. This was great activity for the kids, I explained that the potato itself can be a seed, and that if you bury all but the top 2 or 4 leaves that roots will grow out of the stem, helping the plant drink more water and become stronger. The kids loved being able to touch and look at the sprouts growing out of potatoes. I brought in photos of what the plant looks like above and under the ground as well as some that were harvested and cleaned, which most of the kids recognized. The children are all really excited about growing flowers, I really hope some will bloom before the end of the Oregon PreKindegarten program in May. Here are some pictures of the kids at Settlemeier: