This is the last book I am posting about for BFIAR. There are one or two in the series that I can’t get hold of (Jenny’s Surprise Summer, The Quiet Way Home and the Blue Boat) and one that I am not posting about because we all rowed it (including the older ones) and it seems a bit too private to share (Prayer for a Child).
Theme: The Five Senses
- Read alouds and go along books
- Factual Books
Petal Perfume
We took a walk around our garden chatting about the sounds we could hear, the scents we could smells, the flowers and petals we could see. We used our touch to think about what the petals felt like in our hands and then we collected a bunch of petals and flowers, each of the girls collecting them in their own basket:
One by one the girls went through their flowers, pulling off the petals and placing them in a jar. They left the leaves and stems behind in their basket:
When they had finished they poured hot water on top of the petals:
They gave it one last sniff and placed the lid on top. They were so pleased with their petal perfume!
We will leave these for a couple of weeks and then drain them, saving the fragrant water. Although we couldn’t resist a few sniffs throughout the week!
Smashed petal labels for the perfume
As these jars of perfume would be gifts for the twins for their 11th Birthday, we decided to prettify them. The little ones picked some flowers and made some pounded flower labels. They liked this activity very, very much!
Making Potpourri
The next day I gave them a potpourri ‘kit’ which contained everything they needed to make up some beautifully fragrant potpourri for their sisters’ birthday. We made everything with a purple lavender theme as the twin’s bedroom is a lavender colour:
Painting with spices
I placed some sweet smelling spices in the top row of a muffin tin and some spicy spices on the bottom row. I added warm water to each and stirred to make a sort of paint:
Curry, turmeric and cumin
I gave each of my little ones some paint brushes and some paper and let them at it. The only request was that they smelt each spice paint before they painted with them:
- Sensory Tray
The girls collected bits and pieces from nature to create a sensory basket:
They extended their nature basket’s usefulness by turning the acorns into little people. As they were doing this I pointed out the eyes to see, the nose to smell, the ears to hear and the mouth to taste. Then I mentioned they were using their hands to touch and draw the faces:
I couldn’t help but include a photo of my two gorgeous young girls:
This is their last row of Before Five in a Row books. I have been slightly concerned at my lack of enthusiasm towards a rerow of BFIAR, having rowed them three times now (twice for the older ones and once for the littles). I have decided to do something different for a while, which I am excited very about and will share next week.
