Why, Oh, Why? Sweet potato Pie! (The cycle of Pie)

Almost all first grade curriculum's and objective lists suggest teaching your first grader about plant growth and "processes". The most common I've seen in book after book is about the growth of a frog from tadpole to amphibian. There's one worksheet after another that instructs the child to label the example story in order of how it occurred from 1-5. Well that's no fun now is it? How about we take a story from our reading book and apply that  to the food cycle. How about to the cycle of pie! From plant to pie? Now that's a story I can dig my teeth into. 

Riley and I lately have been having the discussion of food and what happens to people who do not cook? Although adorable that he thinks he will "starve to death" without his momma to cook for him. I wanted to take this project a little further. We've been frequenting pick your owns for years pumpkins, strawberries, apples and blueberries are the staples in this house. He's seen me grow pumpkins (only to have the deer eat them), he's helped make jam too but he's never really fully grasped the concept of this was a seed a farmer planted, it became a plant and then produce that we purchased or picked. With this book Why, oh, Why? Sweet Potato Pie! By Anne Rockwell we were able to practice reading as well as have a hands on natural science project. We learned that sweet potatoes are grown, picked, cooked, and last but not least eaten. Although we are Northern folk and sweet potatoes are somewhat  foreign, Riley quickly warmed up to this project when he realized  that pie was involved. This project helped with the question "Where does my food come from". It also helped with his reading and his desire to... eat pie.

Link To The Neo-Homesteading.com Recipe 

Why, Oh, Why? Sweet Potato Pie! 

(By Anne Rockwell)

From everything I've seen this is totally out of print. I located it in a curriculum book we are borrowing from the public school. Below is the story. It can be sang or read. We started off reading it a few times and then sang it to a rhythm.

Pa picks sweet potatoes one by one.

Why, Oh, Why? Sweet potato pie!

Grandma bakes them till they're done.

Why, Oh, Why? Sweet potato Pie!

Gramps stops chopping.

Ma stops washing.

Tom stops swimming.

Why, Oh, Why?

Sis stops swinging. 

Bob starts singing.

Come and get my sweet potato pie!

Everybody coming one by one.

Why, Oh, Why?

Sweet Potato Pie!

Everybody eating till there's none.

My, Oh, My. 

Sweet Potato Pie!

Words to Practice- sweet, by, stop, oh, them, swing, eat, sing, why