Do this: Take your children on a smelly walk for spring
by Maggie Downs posted in Parenting
It's spring in Southern California, when leaving the house means getting slapped in the face with the sweet smell of citrus blossoms. It's also wildflower season, and thanks to some soaking rains, we're surrounded by superblooms.
It got me to thinking about the one sense I consistently take for granted: Smell. And that's especially true when it comes to teaching my child about the world.
There are sensory blocks and boards for tactile learning and motor skill development. Infant toys boast mirrors, lights, crinkly things that make noise. Through these, children are introduced to textures, sights, and sounds.
We also present our children with a daily buffet of flavors and tastes, whether it's mashed avocado, a creamy puree, or chunky applesauce. But how can we teach smell"
Out of all the senses, smell is most closely linked with memory, but it's the one I constantly ignore in my own life unless I'm aggressively confronted with it -- the saccharine orange blossoms of spring, the movie popcorn smell that lingers on my clothes after I leave the theater, a particularly pungent poopy diaper, the sharp odor of diced onions, or the cushions in a house where someone smoked for decades.
I want to develop that sense more for myself, but I also want to cultivate it in my child too.
So last weekend I took my son on a smelly walk, and we scoured the neighborhood for flowers to experience and discuss. (He's only 2.5 years ...
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