Printing Press Potatoes

In our Mark Twain studies we learned that, amongst other things, Sam (Mark) worked his way through the printing press career; starting at apprentice as a young boy and ultimately finishing as a bankrupted investor (in "promising" new press equipment that never quite got all the kinks worked out) in adulthood.
We looked at a photo where a young Sam had cleverly spelled out his name in reversed press letters so that it would appear correctly once printed. I then cut backwards "press letters" into potatoes and the children made prints of their own names. A snack of Printing Press Potato Salad followed our activity
(made from the pre-paint trimmings, mind you)

When Clay arrived home, I asked the children to tell him what they had learned about the printing press during our lesson. Logan quickly reported " They were made from potatoes!" (She later worried that the school newspaper we are working on may have to be printed in this same manner... I assured her we would use an inkjet, not potatoes. :)

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