SE T3.13Smelling Familiar Scents
The child smells real foods, then pairs sealed jars that smell the same, starting with two scents.
Safety
- Use food scents only (peel, whole spices, fresh herbs); no essential oils or concentrated extracts, which can poison a young child in small amounts if swallowed or spilled on skin.
- Glue the lids shut and keep the holes small so the child cannot reach or shake out the contents; check the seals before each use.
- Check the allergy list and any asthma triggers before choosing scents.
- Replace fresh contents every few days and discard any jar with mold.
Presentation
- 1
At snack or in the kitchen, smell the real foods with the child first: hold the orange peel below your nose, breathe in, and say, "Orange." Offer it to the child.
- 2
Sit at a table with the jars. Place one of each pair on the left and the others on the right.
- 3
Pick up a jar from the left, hold it just below your nose, breathe in slowly, and say, "Orange."
- 4
Smell the jars on the right one at a time until one smells the same, and place the pair together. Point of interest: the second jar with the same smell.
- 5
Hold a jar below the child's nose; show them how to breathe in through the nose.
- 6
Invite the child to find the jar that smells the same.
- 7
Turn each pair over together and look at the dots.
Extensions, easiest to hardest
- Add the mint pair (three pairs)
- Match each jar to the real food on the plate
- Smell and name foods at meals and herbs in the garden
Control of error
Matching colored dots on the bottom of each pair.
Ready to move on when the child…
- Breathes in through the nose when a jar is held near
- Pairs two scents without help
- Points to the real food that matches a jar
- Pairs three scents
Guide note
The 3–6 Smelling Bottles list clove and peppermint among their scents. Clove oil is among the essential oils known to be toxic to young children, so those scents should come from the whole spice or fresh leaves, not from oils or extracts.