The Sense of Smell

playing with scented playdough

It has been awhile since I updated my blog..a lot of things had happened...the typhoon, Z got the flu, mommy/wife duties, my research paper, blah, blah, blah, blah...but finally..almost done with the sense of smell!

To introduce the sense of smell...I showed Z a video about the nose..she learned the parts like the nostrils and the bone that separates our nostrils, the septum. The video was kind of boring and long but it was animated so it did catch Z's attention and I just emphasized on the parts of the nose...

Next, I prepared different items with specific scents like garlic, peppercorn, onion, calamansi (Philippine Lime), sampaguita (Jasminum sambac - a type of jasmine flower), and ginger. I blindfolded Z so she could guess what item she is smelling. She was familiar with the onion and the garlic. She liked the scent of the sampaguita flower which really smells good.

 After the "blindfold activity", I let Z explore the items. 

For this lesson, we also explored playing with scented playdough. It was really cool...most recipes call for the juice powder Kool-Aid but that brand is a bit expensive in the Philippines and not a lot of flavors are available...so I decided to use Tang which is cheaper and easily available at stores everywhere. Tang is sweetened so it was pretty tough cooking the dough. I let Z experienced mixing the batter and removing the lumps. She enjoyed playing with the dough and I encouraged her to smell the play dough while she plays.

The strawberry flavor is good to use as it really smelled good but the orange scent wasn't as strong as the strawberry. So, it is best to use orange Kool-Aid (if you have some) as the reviews from other mommies using that brand were not that bad.


I should have used other flavors like grapes and mango. They smell really nice and the scents are pretty strong especially when you dissolve in water. The colors are pretty bright too so I think it will be better flavors for the scented play dough...will definitely try these flavors next time.


We also tried painting with a "scratch n' sniff" paint. There are tons of recipes that use everyday pantry items...the ingredients I used are cornstarch, food coloring, and different McCormick scents like lemon, orange, vanilla, strawberry, and cinnamon powder.

The sense of smell is a fun lesson to teach children. It is wonderful to see the expression in Z's eyes whenever she 'learns' something during our study time.

 There are a lot more to discover and I am excited to move on to the last sense which is the sense of taste. Z is a little picky when it comes to food so this will be a good lesson to introduce to her different kids of food. And the best part is, I can incorporate all the senses in the coming lesson.

We also did other activities during the sense of smell lesson - I let Z play board games with her dad and uncle, she played with her wooden blocks and lacing beads, she learned the letters B and C, and worked on her board and just scribbled and did her best to draw figures.

It is truly wonderful to experience a child's growth and witness how a child learns. It may look simple for some people but I truly believe that young children learn best when they experience the learning. We do not know what goes on in their minds when they explore and discover new things around them.

Note: A separate blog will be posted where Z worked on her letters B and C crafts. 


Summary of Activities:
1. Introduce the sense of smell using a video about parts of the nose and a blindfold activity using food/items with strong scent.

2. Played with scented play dough.

3. Painted using 'scratch n' sniff' paint and watercolor paint.

4. Other activities were done during the duration of the lesson like learning the letters B and C, playing board games, playing with blocks and beads and just chillin'. :)


References:
The Sense of Smell video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsUVyD6yQ4c

Letter Crafts of the Week: http://crystalandcomp.com/2013/08/letter-of-the-week-crafts-for-preschoolers/