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© 2012 by Patty Born Selly. Published by Redleaf Press, www.redleafpress.org. Unauthorized reproduction or distribution of these pages is strictly prohibited. AGES spice of Life 4 Many common spices are easily recognized by children. This activity provides an opportunity for children to identify spices using their sense of smell and then to make a simple snack using cinnamon and sugar. activity goals To explore a variety of spices using the sense of smell To make a simple snack using common spices, such as cinnamon National science education standards Life science: characteristics of organisms 3. Pass the jars around, letting the children smell and look at the spices. Encourage them to tell you what the smell is (if they know) or what food it reminds them of. 4. Share the names of the different spices, and talk about some ways they are used in cooking and baking. 5. Finally, as a special treat, pass out apple slices, bowls, and stir sticks and allow each child to mix up his own blend of cinnamon and sugar to dip the apples in. 6. Enjoy the snack together. Materials and supplies ȗ Jars containing a number of familiar spices, such as cinnamon, cumin, black pepper, dried oregano, dried dill, cloves, and dried ginger ȗ Sugar ȗ Additional cinnamon ȗ Apples, sliced; several slices per child ȗ Small stirring sticks or spoons, one for each child ȗ Small bowls, one for each child procedure 1. Explain to children that part of what makes up the huge variety of tastes and flavors in our food is the addition of spices. Spices come from plants. They might be leaves (such as oregano), seeds or seed pods (such as cumin), or even berries that are dried and ground (black pepper). They even come from tree bark (cinnamon), roots (ginger), or even flower parts (cloves). 2. Tell the children that they are going to smell different spices and then try to remember where they’ve tasted or smelled that spice before. 82 Chapter 4 tips • Demonstrate the wafting technique—hold a jar near your nose and wave the other hand slowly over the opening to bring the scent toward your nose— to avoid inhalation of the spice. Otherwise, some children may sneeze if they smell black pepper or other spices. • Send a note home ahead of time telling families about the upcoming activity, listing the spices you are planning to have on hand, and inviting them to send a small sample if there is a spice not on your list that is used regularly in their home cooking. If possible, invite families to provide a description of the source of that spice. CoNNeCtioNs Keep a list of the different plant parts in your spice collection. Ask the children how many parts they counted.