Scent Experimentation

To change things around a little bit, we started this class with MOVEMENT!  First we played a game that integrates rhythm with the movement of the body.  I led the first round of the game, and then invited the students to become the leaders.  We stamped, clapped, twirled, and bounced along with the percussion created by our movements.  Then we played one round of Pass the Pose!  Each student got to teach his or her favorite yoga pose to everyone else in class, with help from me if it was needed.

After some of the the wiggles and giggles were released through movement, I introduced the idea of mindfulness of smell.  Either choosing to lay down on their yoga mats or sit up (with eyes closed!) each student got the opportunity to smell four different scents.  If they knew what the scent was, they were asked to keep it a secret so the surprise wasn't spoiled for the students who hadn't experienced the scent yet.  It was absolutely wonderful to watch each child's face as I held the scent up to his or her nose.  Inhaling the fragrance, mouths broke into smiles and relaxation took over.  I reminded the children to think about how each different smell made them feel and to connect with their breathing during the entire experience.

After all four scents were sniffed by each child, they were exploding to reveal the mystery of every fragrance!  I shared the scents of vanilla, tea tree oil, orange, and rosemary.  Everyone recognized the orange fragrance, and a few children knew vanilla; one child named rosemary, and no one recognized the tea tree oil.  What a fun experience!

During the art part of our class, each student continued working with their photograph and the picture of the animal they chose for this session.  Some children added detail with pencil while others were ready to infuse color into their artworks.  Here are some of the works in progress!