Our nursery has high ceilings, which we use to display creative work on huge banners, drapes and hangings. I decided to extend this by involving the children in creating 'sensory hangings' that they could investigate and enjoy through their senses.
Planned learning intentions
To continue to be interested, excited and motivated to learn
To use talk to clarify thinking, ideas, feelings and events
To investigate objects and materials by using all of their senses as appropriate
To respond in a variety of ways to what they see, hear, smell, touch and feel
Resources
Curtain netting; woven material, such as muslin or dishcloth fabric; scissors; cotton wool balls; thin ribbon; card; spices and herbs, such as sage, cinnamon sticks, oregano, mint; essences, such as coffee, vanilla, lemon oil; dropper; camera; commercially produced lavender bags
Step by step
- We looked at our nursery hangings and discussed how they were a good way to remember and enjoy our work. We talked about things we liked to see, touch, smell, taste and listen to.
- I suggested we make some hangings we could explore by using our senses and we talked about how we might do this. The children realised that having a hanging with things to taste might not be a good idea, so we decided against this one.
- We decided on the sense of smell for our first hanging and discussed how we might make it. We spread out a long strip of net, thought about how long it should be, cut it to the required length and hung it from the ceiling.
- The children passed around lavender bags, smelled them and discussed how they were made. Using their comments, we talked about making our own 'smell bags'.
- The children were provided with fabric and scissors, and a range of spices and herbs. They cut out the fabric and, by trial and error, decided that a circle would be the most appropriate shape. They explored herbs or spices sprinkled one in the middle of each circle. They then gathered the circles up and tied them with ribbon to form bags. (Those who needed support with this process were given it, but choices were theirs.)
- The children discussed the problem of putting liquid essence into a bag and together we came up with the idea of dropping a small quantity on to a cotton wool ball and then tying fabric around the ball.
- While children were busy, a staff member took photographs and noted their comments.
- We tied the bags to the hanging at a suitable height so that all children could reach them.
- Above the bags I displayed children's photographs mounted on card, along with their comments,:
It's like oranges, no, lemons!
It smells like ice-cream.
This looks like grass. Can you smell it? It smells like grass.
My bag smells like the morning! (coffee essence)
- EYFS statements from all six areas of learning were mounted on card to display with the photos, as well as a description of how we made the bags, so that parents could read about learning opportunities provided by the experience.
- Our sensory hanging has been most successful. Children stop as they pass by to smell the bags and often talk about them to one another.
- We plan to follow this successful activity with a 'listening hanging' full of crunchy fabrics, bells and other sound-making items.
- Sharon Stapleton is a nursery assistant at Rainbow Nursery, Middlestone Moor, Co Durham. She spoke to Jean Evans.
