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© 2012 by Patty Born Selly. Published by Redleaf Press, www.redleafpress.org.
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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.
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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.