Potato Head Fun!

Gotta start out by telling all of you that it was hard to decide which picture should go on top! So I used an app called PhotoGrid to make the collage above.

Read on to see the fun that I have had with Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head!

For some reason that I just can't explain I love Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head. I love the creativity that has gone into making them into a variety of characters. Just do a Google search and you will find they have been turned into Star Wars & Wizard of Oz figures, superheros, rock stars like Kiss & Elvis, and so on.

In all started back in 2004 when I went into Orlando with my sister and we went shopping in downtown Disney. They have a store there where you can fill up a box with a potato head and all necessary parts to make different Disney characters. I ended up going back with my BFF.

 

And I have conveniently forgotten how many times I filled up one of those boxes. Most of my grandchildren at one time or another have played with them. Although, there are some in boxes that are off limits like Indiana Jones and Sponge Bob.

 

Anyway, so when us art teachers teach our students we tend to incorporate things that we love into our lessons. And that is what I did when I taught a lesson on mixing the color brown.

I tell students that to make a primary color we would need to get it from nature. Well I happened upon some red dirt which they added green paint (its complementary color) to make the color brown.

There were tracers for the potato and some of it's featured parts. Yes, I occasionally use tracers with my students. It is no different then using a pattern to sew with.

 

 

 

 I think they came out great!

Now you may be wondering about the photos in the collage above. At some point when I realized the Potatoes Heads turned 60, I had a party for them. Turns out it was the same year my husband turned 60 so I already had the signs available.

Now these photos-

 

Were from a photo shoot with my new digital camera 10 years ago. The photos above were as they waited in line for their turn.  Harmless fun........

 

Above just a few, as I took so many photos that day, my batteries died.

Then two years ago I needed a costume for school (favorite character) and I just had to make this.

I made the pattern by laying out a dress and doing the body shape around one side of it. When I do things like this I tend to fold everything in half to get it symmetrical. It is made out of felt so I wouldn't have rough edges. And in order for the ears to stay up I have cardboard tucked in behind it. I made it in under 3 hours so the face features do not come off, maybe if I thought about it I would have used velcro so I could have made it interactive. Glued flowers onto a visor added the shirt, gloves and legging and it was perfect! Students totally enjoyed it!

There you have it Potato Head Fun! I think the next time, maybe, I'll do a drawing lesson and bring in my Potatoes to model........ maybe. There are some things that are just to hard to share.

What is something you love that you shared with your students??

Thanks for reading!!