Nursery World - EYFS Activities: Let’s explore…Herbs

How one setting introduced children to the sensory experience of herbs. By Annette Rawstrone

Providing a range of herbs with varying aromas led to an absorbing exploratory session, with the children enjoying the sensory experience as well as experimenting and developing new skills.

Home-based childcarer Chloe Webster, from Pebbles Childcare in Worthing, West Sussex, planned the activity in response to the children in her care who were showing an interest in both aromatic plants and developing their scissor skills.

A visit to a lavender field introduced the children to the sensory aspect of plants as they touched and smelled the purple flowers. They were intrigued by brushing their hands across the flowers and then smelling the strong aromas. Following this, Ms Webster observed that the children would independently smell flowers, so they went to a friend’s allotment to investigate the different aromas. They picked mint at the allotment and brought it back to the setting.

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