1. Chart paper and marker

1. During group time, engage the children in a discussion about the special ways in which their families celebrate the holidays. Ask the children to think about the different things that they hear, taste, see and smell, i.e. special decorations, special music or sounds, holiday foods, the smell of plants or trees, etc., which are associated with their special holidays, i.e. Christmas, Chanukah, Kwanzaa, Boxing Day, New Year's, etc. Remind children that hearing, tasting, seeing, smelling, and touching make up the five senses.
    
   
2. Prepare a sheet of chart paper with the heading Holiday Sensory Experiences. Prepare five columns, each column devoted to one of the senses. In class focus on one sense experience at a time and ask the children to think of examples for each of the columns. Engage the children in discussion about their holidays to fill in the columns. For example, ask: What foods do you eat during Kwanzaa? Place sweet potato pie in the taste column.
    
   
3. Review the lists with the children. Tell children that you will play a circle game. Have the class sit in a large circle. Choose one child to begin the game. He or she must choose a word from the sensory experience chart and ask the child to his/her right a question using a word from any column—for example: What color is sweet potato pie? Go around the circle until the entire class has asked his classmate a sensory experience chart question. Lastly, tell the children that you will leave the chart posted for several days so that they may add additional items.

1. Send a note home to families describing the sensory activity which the children participated in. Ask the families to encourage the children to notice and discuss the different sensory experiences as families prepare for and celebrate the holidays.
    
   
2. Ask the children and parents to bring to class a holiday item or object, i.e. small branch of a Christmas tree, peppermint candy, cinnamon used in sweet potato pie, gold wrap from Chanukah chocolates, or special holiday music, which represents a special sensory holiday experience in their home.
    
   
3. Invite the children to share their sensory holiday objects with their classmates. They may wish to tell their classmates how their families use the item or the children may wish to pass around the item. Encourage the children to touch, smell, listen, observe, and taste (if appropriate) the items. Children may want to ask questions of their classmates—as they did in the circle game—about the objects. Suggest that children use words from the sensory word list to describe their experiences.

Sweet Potato Pie

Ingredients:

2 cups canned sweet potatoes, drained
4 tablespoons melted margarine
3 eggs
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 9" pie shell, baked

1. Write the recipe on a sheet of chart paper for the children to read while they involved in the cooking activity. Prepare a clean surface for the children to make sweet potato pie. Remind the children to their wash hands before touching food products. Children can gather the ingredients and cooking utensils.
    
   
2. Place the drained sweet potatoes and melted margarine in a large bowl. Give each child a turn to mash the potatoes until they are smooth. Encourage the children to notice all the different textures and smells as they prepare the pie.
    
   
3. Add eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg. Blend well.
    
   
4. Pour the mixture into a prepared 9" pie shell. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-45 minutes, until pie is firm.
    
   
5. Pie may be served warm or cold.