The children have been drawn to scent since their first explorations with natural materials. To support the interest in their sense of smell, dried herbs were brought to grind and fresh herbs have been brought by Sarah (Sam’s mom in the west wing) from our plot at Ocean View Farms and displayed as a provocation. After much investigating the children have categorized the smells into two groups: “yummy” and “yucky.”
The children have also expressed that certain herbs and spices they have explored at school are also found in their homes. Because the children are so deeply connected to their sense of smell, the ground herbs and spices will be distributed throughout the classroom such as the house area and communication center to make them feel at home in all areas of the school.
The teachers believe that these observations are a great opportunity to make a home to school connection and want to ask the families to bring in something with a scent that evokes their child’s memory. In relation to the East Wing intention to focus on communication, it is the teachers’ goal to expand the children’s vocabulary and use poetry as a tool to express their ideas and feelings in relation to the materials brought from home and in connection to their sense of smell.
*Side note: As adults our worlds are always moving in top speed, but remember in a child’s world they need time to process. The children are still recalling the holidays. You could take this into consideration if you need some direction when looking for something to bring in. -Silvana
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