Poe's idea of hiding something in plain sight can prompt some good classroom or library puzzlers. In the book, the school has a teleconference with an astronaut while he is up in space. These are actually the ones in the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Children in northern Ohio will recognize this as the one at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, although other such places have similar things to see. Choose a category - plants that produce food or live in the rainforest or wetlands, or everyday house or garden plants, or trees, or the world's weirdest plants.
Carnivorous ones are always fascinating.
If you can't find a cutter, make a pattern of light cardboard or stiff paper and cut around it with a table knife. Bake and cover with white frosting. Or, if you're game to supervise what could be a great mess, provide several colors of frosting, sprinkles, chocolate chips, etc. Prizes were books. The category possibilities for fun are endless.