UNIT 9
Special Occasions For Me

Grand Ideas

Children will become aware of the social aspects of eating and drinking by participating in food preparation activities for holiday celebrations and special occasions.  They will also learn that body building foods can be selected and eaten during these special events.  Children will also begin to experience the customs and celebrations practiced by certain cultural, ethnic and regional groups.

Teacher Know How

Food is often an integral part of holiday celebrations and special occasions.  For example, the mention of a birthday makes many people think of eating cake and ice cream.  Eating turkey on Thanksgiving, decorated eggs on Easter Sunday or hot-dogs at the baseball game are images many people associate with holiday celebrations or special events.  This association between food and holidays makes these special occasions a natural time to teach nutrition education concepts.  These celebrations also provide an excellent opportunity to teach children about their heritage and cultural background and the customs of other ethnic, cultural and regional groups.

The occasions observed and the ways that they are celebrated may vary with ethnic, cultural and religious background.  The region of the country may also determine the occasions celebrated.  During the preschool years children become increasingly aware of the seasons and special occasions.  They also begin to learn that we eat and drink for social reasons in addition to meeting our physical needs for energy and growth.

This unit is designed to help children explore the social aspects of eating and examine nutritious foods that can be used for celebrations. Additional activities may be used to teach children about their own cultural and ethnic heritage and those of others. Children also delight in party preparations and can develop a sense of pride and accomplishment through participation in food preparation activities. Many of the activities in this unit may be enjoyed throughout the span of a year. Some of the foods mentioned are associated with specific seasons or holidays, but their ingredients maybe available at other times during the year so that the activity can be incorporated into classroom activities at any time. For example, bobbing for apples in May is just as much fun for the children as it is at Halloween.

The  following books provide ideas for using food to celebrate holidays and special occasions:

The Circle Time Book/Crafts/Language Games and Learning Games (Early Childhood Bookhouse, P.O. Box 2791, Portland, Oregon 97208, 1982).

Objectives

The children will learn that food is sometimes eaten for social reasons.

The children will practice selecting and eating body building foods for special occasions.

The children will become aware of customs of various cultural, ethnic and regional groups.
 
 

Pin The Apple

 
 
 

To Know and Learn

Children will become aware that food can be enjoyed in a variety of ways by playing this game. It will also help children practice counting and fine motor skills. This game can be used to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions.

Materials Needed

apple leaf on page 9-14
apple picture on page 9-13
bulletin board, blackboard or wall
tape, thumbtacks or pins
crayons or felt tip markers
scissors
blindfold (optional)

Directions

A. To Make the Game Pieces

The game pieces can be made by cutting out the apple leaf on page 9-14 and making a copy for each child. The children can then color or decorate the apple leaf as desired. Write each child's name on their apple leaf.

The apple picture on page 9-13 can be cut out, enlarged if desired, and decorated.

B. To Play Food Fun Pin Ups

Place the apple picture on the bulletin board, blackboard or wall using tape, thumbtacks or pins. Place it at eye level of the children so that they can easily reach the drawing.

Have one child hold an apple leaf. Ask the child to close his or her eyes. A piece of cloth or a hat could be used as a blindfold to keep the children from seeing the apple picture.

Slowly spin the child in a circle and lead the child toward the apple picture. Ask the child to place the apple leaf on the apple picture. After the child has placed the leaf close to or on the apple, mark the spot by taping, thumb tacking or pinning the apple leaf to the location.

Remove the blindfold or ask the child to open his or her eyes and see where the apple leaf was placed. Repeat this procedure until all of the children have had a turn.

After the game has been completed, ask the children to answer the following questions:

How many apple leaves are on the apple picture?
What color are the apple leaves?
What shape are the apple leaves?
Where are the apple leaves on the apple picture?
Is this where apple leaves can be found on real apples?
What is the color of the apple picture?
What are other colors of apples?
Has anyone ever seen apples growing on a tree?
Where do we find apples that we eat?

The apple leaves and apple picture can be substituted with other food items, for example, grape clusters on a grape vine, pigs in a barn, fish in a pond, pumpkins in a pumpkin patch, spoons in a bowl or plates on a table.

This activity can be used to celebrate birthdays or other special occasions. For example, the birthday child could be the first to play the game or answer the questions. A holiday theme can also be used, such as the placing of pumpkins in a pumpkin patch during a Halloween celebration.

Food For Thought

Ask the children to discuss the game. Have them count the number of apple leaves close to and on the apple picture. Ask them to name the food that was used to play the game and describe it using
the senses.
 

Space Food Walk

To Know and Learn

Children will practice listening and discrimination skills and large muscle coordination by playing this game. It will also help children to practice identifying a variety of food. This activity can be used to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions.

Materials Needed

paper
tape or glue
open space on floor
crayons or felt tip markers
scissors
food pictures (optional, pictures from other lessons can be used)
music (optional, record player, radio or cassette player can be used)
clear contact paper (optional)

Directions

Cut sheets of paper into 2 foot by 2 foot squares. Each square can be decorated with one food item. The food pictures can be drawn directly onto the paper squares or they can be selected from other activities, decorated and attached to the paper squares using glue or tape.

Cover with clear contact paper to make the paper squares more durable.

Place between 10 and 20 squares on the floor in a circle. Secure with tape.

Describe the game to the children. Tell them that they are going to take a walk in space and see all the foods that they can eat. Explain to the children that they can walk along the path of food pictures as long as they hear music ·. When the music stops the children are to stop and stand on one paper square.

Ask each child to name the food picture on the paper square on which they are standing. Children who correctly identify the food picture remain in the game. To make the game more challenging, one paper square can be removed after each break in the music. If two children are on one square when the music stops, ties can be broken by asking the children to describe the food pictured on the paper square according to the senses, food origins and food groups.

* Music can be sung, played on a record player, radio or cassette player.

This activity can be used to celebrate birthdays and other special occasions. For example, a birthday or holiday song can be played and the children can be encouraged to sing along with the music.

This game can be made more challenging by speeding up the music or by asking children to describe each food that is pictured on the paper square after a break in the music.

Food For Thought

Ask the children to name and describe all of the foods pictured on the paper square. Also, ask them if they would eat these foods if they went on a space food walk.
 

Hop and Skip For Food Fun

To Know and Learn

Children will practice recognizing and describing a variety of foods by playing this game. Large muscle coordination and fine motor skills will also be practiced. This activity can be used to celebrate Spring holidays and other special occasions.

Materials Needed

paper
crayons or felt tip markers
glue or tape
food pictures (optional)
eraser or block
scissors
clear contact paper (optional)

Directions

A. To Make the Game Pieces

Cut sheets of paper into approximately 2 foot by 2 foot square. There should be between 7 and 10
paper squares.

Decorate each square with a food picture. These pictures can either be drawn onto the square or taken from other lessons, enlarged and glued or taped onto the paper squares. There should be a variety of food pictures, for example, an apple, glass of milk, cheese, grapes, carrot, chicken drumstick and a slice of bread.

Cover the food picture squares with clear contact paper to make them more durable.

B. To Use the Game Pieces

Place the food picture squares on the floor in an open area. Put one food picture square on the floor and secure with tape. Place two food picture squares above the first paper square and secure with tape. Repeat with a single square and double squares until all of the food picture squares have been used.

Explain the game to the children. Tell them that to play the game they can:

Repeat until all of the children have had a turn. To make the game more exciting, ask the children to include a description of the food pictured on the square after they have correctly named the food.

It may be necessary for an adult to show the children how to play this game.

Variations of the game include making one food item "off limits" or changing the foods pictured. Pictures of foods from only one food group can also be used to help children practice identifying these foods.

Food For Thought

Ask the children to name the foods on the food picture squares and describe them using their senses and food origins.
 

Apple Bob

To Know and Learn

Children will become aware of the social aspects of eating by bobbing for apples or other foods. Fine motor skills will also be practiced. This activity can be used during fall holidays, such as Halloween, and other special occasions.

Materials Needed

Bobbing Basics Song, see below
basin or tub filled with clean water
apples (washed and cleaned)
towels

Directions

Before playing the game fill a basin or tub with clean water and place several washed and cleaned apples in the water.

Ask the children if they have ever "bobbed for apples". If this game has been played before, let one child demonstrate how it is played. If no one has played the game before, describe and demonstrate how the game is played. Have the children:

* For some preschool children this activity might be too difficult, ask these children to use only one hand to pull the apple out of the water.

After all of the children have played the game, let them eat the apples. Discuss how the children were able to "bob" the apples out of the water. Ask them if they had any special tricks that they used to secure the apples and pull them out of the water.

Sing the song, see below, to the children and have them practice "bobbing" while they sing the song.

Other fresh fruits can be used, such as small pears, peaches or nectarines. Also, a variety of fresh fruit can be added to the basin or tub so that the children can practice sorting, counting and identification skills. These foods should be large enough that the children will not swallow them as they pull them out of the water.

This activity can be used to celebrate holidays, such as Halloween. It can also be used at other special occasions, such as birthday parties or theme days in the classroom.

Food For Thought

Ask the children to describe how the "bobbing for apples" game is played. The children can also describe the apples using their senses and food origins.

BOBBING BASICS SONG
(can be sung to the tune of
This Is The Way We Wash Our Clothes)
This is the way we bob for apples,
(lower head)
Bob for apples, bob for apples.
(pretend bobbing for apples)
This is the way we bob for apples,
(lower head)
Bob, bob, bob.
(pretend bobbing for apples)
 
 



Special Holiday

To Know and Learn

Children will become aware of the social aspects of eating by participating in a Chinese New Years celebration. They will also practice creativity and fine motor skills by making party masks. This activity can also be used on other special occasions.

Materials Needed

paper plates
scissors
crayons or felt tip markers
hole punch
pipe cleaners or ribbon

Directions

A. To Make the Party Masks

The party masks can be made by giving each child one paper plate which has two eye holes cut out. These eye holes will allow the child to see out of the mask when he or she wears the mask. To allow the child to see, make sure that when the paper plate is placed against the child's face, the eye holes are appropriately spaced.

Ask the children to decorate their masks using crayons or felt tip markers.

After the party masks have been decorated, punch two holes on either side of the paper plate close to the child's ear so that a pipe cleaner or piece of ribbon can be threaded through these holes. Thread one pipe cleaner through one hole and secure. Repeat for the other side and twist the pipe cleaners together allowing room for the child's head. If ribbon is used, follow the same procedure and tie the mask around the child's head.

B. To Use the Party Masks

Ask the children if they have ever heard of or celebrated Chinese New Year. If they have
celebrated this holiday, ask them to describe their celebrations. The children might be interested to know that this is how the Chinese celebrate the beginning of a new year. The celebration lasts for several days and on each day there are special family mealtimes, neighborhood parties and parades. Often, there is a special parade which has a huge dragon that is so big that many people help to carry it .in the parade. After the dragon has made it through the parade, a fireworks display ends the celebration.

Have the children wear their party masks and form a chain. Ask them to parade around the classroom saying, "Happy New Year."

The concept of the changing of the years might be too difficult for some preschool children. Discussing yearly events, such as birthdays, winter holidays, first day of school and Halloween might help children to understand this time concept.

Food For Thought >Ask the children to describe how they celebrated Chinese New Year. Have them discuss the reason behind the celebration (celebrating the beginning of a new year) .


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