We have spent the month of January exploring the different senses, and this week we delved into the world of smells! Spicy, fruity, woody, fresh - we have smelt it all in a range of activities that got the children to consider how this sense helps to shape our experience.
Blindfolded Smelling
The children put their noses to the test with this activity. Blindfolds over their eyes, our Little Forest Folk-ers investigated the scents of the woodland around them. Each took turns rediscovering pinecones, oak wood & even mud from an entirely new perspective. They found that they had to use a completely different range of adjectives to describe the experience of smelling.
Sweet Mangoes & Sour Lemons
On Tuesday, we built on what we had learnt, and we brought mangoes and lemons to the forest. This activity catered to the children’s inquisitive natures, providing them with a sensory goldmine! All of them were eager to inspect the fruit with their touch, smell and taste. What followed was a lively discussion about smells & flavours some of us like versus what some of us don’t like.
Memory Game Smelling Jars
Our Forest Educators tasked the children with a real challenge with this memory game activity - and our friends stepped up to the task with excitement and intrigue! Six different pairs of jars held an assortment of smells that the children identified and then matched up into corresponding pairs. This was no small feat and required a huge amount of concentration and problem solving from our Little Forest Folk-ers - what great work!
Making Banana, Raisin & Oat Balls
Thursday morning the camp was transformed into a chef’s kitchen, with the children making a healthy snack and we spent time exploring with our noses. We checked out a spectrum of spices, from cinnamon to nutmeg, and discussed where we might have smelt these before. A lot of our friends said they recognised the cinnamon as they have it in their breakfast porridge at home!
Spotting Snowdrops
It is the beginning of snowdrop season in the UK and our Little Forest Folk-ers have been quick to notice the forest slowly showing early signs of spring. The children have been quite captivated by these pops of white amongst the browns and greens of the forest, and on our adventure walks, they have been determined to find every last snowdrop blooming within the walls of Chiswick House & Gardens. It will be interesting to see how else the forest changes with the upcoming seasons.
This week has been jam-packed with fun and new experiences for our friends at Little Forest Folk Chiswick. Together, the children are building a vivid understanding of the world they live in by investigating fresh perspectives. With their curiosity leading the way, our Little Forest Folk-ers are expanding their awareness, knowledge and imaginations - we can’t wait to see what next week brings!
Little Forest Folk
Chiswick