As a provocation the teacher set up some herbs and spices for the children to explore. A pestal and mortar where also placed at the table and it invited the children to explore by grinding the herbs and spices. The children where immediately drawn to the cinnamon. Noticing this, the teacher asked:
Cynthia: “What do you think that is?”
Miles: “Coffee.”
Lola: “Yeah, it’s coffee.”
Maddox: “No, that’s cinnamon. It’s really cinnamon, not coffee.”
While the children approached the table, the teacher had observed how the children felt the herbs and smelled them. They talked about what the smells remind them of. From these observations, the teacher wondered if the pestal and mortar should be removed to give the children an opportunity to explore their sense of smell without distractions. As a provocation, the teacher decided to place herbs in loose tea infusers for the children to explore and write down the imagery the bouquet invokes.
We invite you to write down your impressions of the smells and your children’s on the notebook that is provided by the table.