"Plant Fragrance Bingo"
This family activity helps children discover the world of plants by stimulating various senses.
When creating the bingo, they examine and handle the plants before drawing them.
It will also be their first sensory experience of the plants and the game will test how well they remember each scent.
Materials
- Cardboard rolls
- Acrylic paints and a brush
- A thick pointed needle
- Fragrant plants (aromatic plants/flowers), coffee, spices
Here is a non-exhaustive list of plants and products derived from the world of plants that you could use.
- Fragrant flowers: lavender / rose / honeysuckle / jasmine…
- Aromatic plants: basil / chives / coriander / mint / thyme / rosemary / savory…
- Spices: curry / cumin / star anise / 4 spices… (avoid pepper and chilli, that could irritate small delicate noses)
- Other: strawberry / banana / garlic / licorice stick / tomato stalk leaf / coffee…
Steps
Pick fragrant plants found in your kitchen our outside, depending on the time of year.
Make bingo cards by dividing a piece of paper into squares. Encourage your child to handle, smell and examine the plant/spice before they draw it. You can also write down the plant’s name to make it easier to recognise.
Flatten the cardboard roll.
Fold one edge of one end towards the inside of the roll.
Fold the second edge over the first.
Fold the other end of the roll the same way.
Make a little box for each type of plant collected. Here, we have twelve.
Paint them to make them look prettier. Make sure that they’re all the same colour so that they're identical. Leave them to dry.
Once the paint has dried, make little holes on one side by puncturing the box with the needle.
Place one plant in each box.
Once the boxes are closed, it will be impossible to tell what they contain by looking at them. Your child will need to guess the contents by smelling through the holes.
For spices or ground coffee, use tape: sprinkle the spices on the sticky side.
The powder will naturally stick to the adhesive surface. Make sure to cover the entire surface of the tape, then join the two ends together to make a circle. Finally, place it in a box.
The game of bingo is now ready to be played as a family!
Get your child to identify each plant by its scent and to match the boxes with the drawings on the bingo cards. At the end, they can open the boxes and check their answers.
This super fun DIY game is bound to stimulate your children’s senses and creativity.
Plants and spices can be chosen during a walk in the forest or in nature. It’s the perfect first step to raising your children’s awareness of biodiversity. You could even play the game each season to discover the smells and flavours specific to each time of year. At Christmas, for example, you could use cinnamon sticks, fir branches and orange peels.
Article DIY written and created by ©Morganours
