The activity in week two was without a doubt a hit! The children spent so much time exploring different smells, seeing which ones they liked and which ones they didn’t and interpreting what these smells look like to them. They kept returning again and again to the ones that interested them the most, even when they had finished drawing their interpretation of the scent. Some even wished they could bring the smells home with them. It was really awesome to see them so excited for what they might smell next. Something really special happened here that day, as the children left the art table I noticed there was one child that didn’t stop smelling when they had finished the activity, they continued moving throughout the room smelling other things. They smelled the toy truck, the plastic tiger and moose, the magnetic tiles, the light up balls, the carpet and even more. The child was exploring the room the way they had explored the scents I brought in for them. It was fascinating to see what items they liked the smell of and what ones they didn’t. As I was observing them I saw how they reacted to each item they smelt. The child would make faces and shake their head yes or no after they smelt each thing and based on facial reactions the wooden blocks smelt good, so did the tiger and moose but the plastic light up ball didn’t and neither did the carpet. I wonder what makes it a good smell or a bad smell in their mind? The invitation of smelling in our activity had introduced a new way of investigating and interacting with their environment and this child carried it with them wherever they went in the room. They had carried beyond the materials and scents that had been prepared for them, which was so incredibly exciting to see. Sometimes the clearest sign of a child learning is when they continue to explore and inquire about their environment in the new way that they have been shown long after we as educators have stopped asking. Seeing how this activity can go beyond what I had bought in and how it can enrich the experiences of children past just what we were doing that day is truly a phenomenal and invaluable experience as an artist educator.