Anu’s Potato Printing

I visited Anu’s potato printing page and was captured by the first picture I saw. It is similar to the first potato print I made.

When I learnt that Anu got her six-year-old daughter involved, and they both had a great time, I wondered why I had not thought about getting my two helpers at home to work together. I am certain this weekly task could have easily become enjoyable. I should confess that even though I have been very hung up on how learning should be fun, I completely have not contemplated the possibility of getting my children to make potato stamps and have some fun together. Instead, it was a stressful experience for me working alone on a Saturday evening- really, it should not have been that way. Also, in my case, I used a pairing knife to cut out the letters, and it was a real challenge. I wonder if using a pumpkin carving kit as Anu did will be easier. Therefore, I would try to find out for my next potato art adventure.

I noticed some similarities Anu and I shared for this task. Anu also had all the letters in her chosen word carved on a huge potato instead of several small potatoes. Further, it did not occur to both of us initially that the letters should be carved backwards. We both prefer digital tools for their speed and flexibility in text production. Anu mentioned how she noticed her students use colloquial words in their assignments. Well, I guess if we stuck to potato printing, we would have attempted to permanently shorten most words, such as no for number or though, instead of although.