MAGIC PENCIL WEBNOTES

Ideas for a Montessori cultural unit

by Elena Malec

THE SPICES ROAD

This cultural topic is appropriate for all age groups; it is concrete and tangible to the child, it is meaningful since it has a basis in reality, can create and expand child’s interest in the world he lives and the subject of study.

The goal is: knowledge and appreciation of nature and its gifts. It can be experienced in the Practical Life, Sensorial, Math, Language, Art areas in any classroom around the world.

Ideal for Earth Day, holiday season, Save our Planet programs.

Gernot Katzer’s Spice Dictionary

spooning, pouring, grinding, grating, cooking with spices

(choices : allspice, nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon sticks, mustard seeds.)

smelling jars, memory games

one to one correspondence, association of quantity and symbol,

seriation, class inclusion (choices of spices:anise star,

nutmeg whole, cloves, mustard seeds, allspice whole)

names of spices, vocabulary: flavor, scent, aroma,

fragrant, mortar and pestle.

matching cards, pictures, photos, drawing, painting.

seeds, seed germination, parts of plants:

root(ginger),bark(cinnamon),leaf(bay leaf), flower(saffron),

fruit(vanilla) seed (coriander, nutmeg, mustard, allspice, pepper.

Garden projects.

countries, regions of the world, spices routes

spices trade stories, cultural background of different spices

(folklore, usage, cuisines)

with spices:gingerbread houses, gingerbread man cookies

Songs, cultural tradition related to spices

(ex: name giving in certain cultures, Cinnamon, Ginger,etc)