P7 Potato Project
This afternoon, Charlotte, our P7 classroom assistant, took all of the P7 children outside where we dug up potatoes which were planted last term in the P7 trough box outside.
The P7s have been learning about the Great Irish Potato Famine as part of topic work this term and Charlotte was able to tell all of us a bit about what life would have been like for people in Ireland back in the 1840s. She told us about how the potatoes would have been planted, looked after and then gathered for cooking in order to make dishes like Colcannon, Champ and Boxty. Most people in Ireland at the time of the famine relied heavily on the potato and it was the main part of their diet.
Once the potatoes had been dug up, we all went inside to wash the potatoes and then Charlotte boiled them for eating. There were some very enthusiastic potato washers in the group for all you parents who need a hand preparing the dinner!
Charlotte also told us about the old-fashioned method for breath-freshening using parsley and some of us enjoyed tasting the herb. Others weren’t so keen on it!
We had a fantastic learning experience this afternoon with Charlotte, who always does an excellent job of enthusing the children about their learning. We now have a real knowledge of the process of taking potatoes from field to fork.
Camphill Primary School, 65 Carolhill Park, Ballymena BT42 2DG Phone: 028 2565 2940