Sensory Garden

Ages 2 and up (one 30-45 minute session)

Objectives:

To expose children to gardening through their 5 senses
To use plants as a means to relate to the outside world.

Materials:

Large containers, pre fertilized potting soil, or a spot in the garden, preferably one that gets a lot of traffic. A large assortment of Plants that appeal to all our senses: Sensitive plants (touch), Heliotrope(smell), Statice & Straw flowers(touch and sound), Dusty miller(touch), Scented geraniums(smell), Peas(taste), Annual poppies(see and hear), Lamb’s ear(touch), Nasturtiums(see and taste), Pansies, Johnny jump-ups(see), assorted herbs(smell and taste).
Pot labels
Indelible marker and crayons
3x5 cards (unlined)

Set up:

Draw an eye or an ear or a nose or a hand or a mouth on the labels. Put the labels in the plants so the children will know which sense that plant represents. Ready the area to be planted by enriching the soil if needed, or fill the containers.

Part One:

Discuss the five senses with the children (Touch, Smell, Taste, Hearing, and Vision). Try to connect the plant selections to the senses. Encourage the children to see, smell, taste, hear, and touch the plants.

Help the children put the potting soil into the container. Encourage the children to have fun while they plant their containers or site; supervise the fun. Water the plants well. Put the containers in a sunny location. Have the children draw pictures of what certain plants smell like on 3x5 cards. For example, Orange geraniums smell like Oranges and Nutmeg geraniums smell like cookies! Laminate the cards and attach them to sticks. Label the plants in the garden with the pictures.

Questions to ask:

What good could a strong smell be to a plant?

Why do some plants have lots of hairs on their leaves?

Are there any plants in the Sensory garden that you have at home?

Why do some plants have pickers?

Why does the sensitive plant close when we touch it?

Some good plants to use for this garden are:

Eyeball plant (Spilanthes oleracea If tasted it will numb your gums and lips),Basil, Chives, Bread-Seed Poppy(Papaver sp. ;They rattle when they dry!), Scented Geraniums (come in a multitude of smells like roses, lemon, nutmeg…), Thistles (are prickly; some just enough to prove the point!), Mints (come in a multitude of scents like pineapple, chocolate, orange…), Nasturtiums (are very brightly colored and have a peppery taste), Rabbits foot grass (is soft on your face and to touch), Lambs ears (are fuzzy!).