I am what I’m Surrounded with!
I speak what I hear; I express what I see,
I feel what I touch; I remember what I smell,
My mood changes as per what I taste.
Senses are the most powerful tool that we possess. Senses are the only mode through which children learn, absorb, express and remember things. Our senses help us build memories that last a lifetime!
Building on this premise of sharpening our kid’s senses, Little Aryans arranged an activity for its children known as “My Perfume Garden”. It was a beautiful, innovative idea that made children experience new things and brought them close to nature. The kids embraced the activity wholeheartedly and loved every moment.
What is “My Perfume Garden?”
It is an experience created for the kids. An outdoor space was created with different seeds, flowers, oils, leaves, plants, stones etc. Children visited each booth and touched the seeds, felt the leaves, smelt the flowers and the oils and played with mud and built clay models. Therefore, it tingled all their senses.
Children learnt to make associations between coriander seeds and coriander leaves, mustard seeds and mustard oil, groundnut and its oil. This made them learn and remember the things they eat every day. They smelt the curry leaves and immediately remembered their mother’s cooking.
Strong scents such as eucalyptus and mustard evoked strong reactions, and it was a pleasure to watch them sniff and make faces. It was also interesting to see how children expressed their awe and were curious to touch and feel everything.
Children used the magnifying glasses freely and it was amusing to see some of them having deep conversations with their peers. Therefore, “My Perfume Garden” brought out the little Botanist and Scientist in a child.
The activity that the kids enjoyed thoroughly was playing with mud. They enjoyed digging, looking for their imaginary treasure, planting and sowing.
The Teacher’s Role-
The teachers taught children to plant seeds, feed manure to the plants and water the plants. The curious kids also separated the petals of flowers and that was okay. The teachers played an important role in guiding the activity.
They built the activity organically and children moved from one experience to another freely. The teacher watched them and asked questions on how they felt. Asking the kids to express themselves makes them better communicators. They learn to recognise their emotions and name what they feel. It jogs their memory.
The teacher also made them build something through art or clay to depict what they saw around them. This was a crucial part of the activity. The children used green and brown colours extensively. Some drew their mothers maybe because of the close association between food and mother.
A Unique Experience-
My Perfume Garden was a unique experience for the kids. In today’s fast -paced, urban living it is difficult to bring children close to nature. It also gets challenging for parents to teach them the names of the foods they eat and its origin.
Little Aryans, the best playschool in Kalyan and Ambernath aims to achieve a close bond between the child, nature and our culture. Activities such as these takes us one step closer to this aim.