For our “My Amazing Body” theme, I made some Smelling Sensory Bottles. Although my version doesn’t really follow the traditional Montessori method because I labeled the jars and it’s not really a matching activity, the kids have really enjoyed them.
It all kind of started with this pickle relish container I put out for the kids to use in the kitchen area. The kids like the flip top cap – which is now missing. I observed them opening the lid, squeezing the bottle near someone’s nose and saying “Smell the fresh air.” So funny! It did not smell like fresh air! Pickle relish! A couple of the parents didn’t think it was pleasant either!
I used spice containers found at our grocery store by the bulk spices. $1.59 each. There’s one cotton ball in each container with an essential oil or extract on it. Essential oils are preferred but I used what I had available. Our scents include:
Stormy got in on the action too and got to smell them all. He didn’t really appreciate it but it was super cute to watch!
Smelling Bottle Scents
Vanilla: this one is an oil used for scenting soaps from Hobby Lobby
Cherry: cherry extract. It smells very much like cherry cough syrup! This one is a give away because it’s red.
Almond: Almond extract or almond oil
Cucumber: Cucumber Melon fragrance oil
Grapefruit: essential oil
Peppermint: essential oil
Lavender: essential oil
My one little girl, amongst all the boys, declared one of the scents “
FREE LABELS Smelling Sensory Bottle Labels CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD
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Where is the cinnamon!?!?!? My favorite! Great idea – LOVE Montessori, thanks!
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You’re right! I need to add a cinnamon one too!
Stormy!:)
I love that you used natural scents! Every children’s museum we’ve visited has these but they’re always with the obviously artificial scents that are so chemical-laden and nauseating.
Quick heads up, there is no such thing as cucumber melon essential oil, and the product listed says “scented oil” so it may or may not include synthetic ingredients. You should check the ingredients. Essential oils from companies that publish their 3rd party tested GC/MS results are your best bet (and they are not all from MLMs either! Several great independent companies out there!).
Not all plants produce essential oils, other natural options would include hydrosols, where a plant has been infused in water. For example, you can have Rose Absolute (slightly different from an essential oil) or Jasmine essential oil, but lilacs don’t produce an essential oil, but you can preserve some scent in other natural ways.
I used essential oils, extracts and some fragrance oils from the craft store. I changed the wording on the cucumber melon to state “frgrance oil” as that’s what I acutally used. I did write that I used “what I had” or what was available in these scents. I’m not big into essential oils and I wans’t concerned about using natural products for this activity.
🙂 In my cleaning yesterday I came a bag of film canisters I had forgotten about. Was just thinking this morning that I’d turn them into smelling containers. I think I will turn it into a matching game. Did you use your Silhoutte machine for the labels on your spice jars?
No, I printed them on my computer.
Love the idea …. How long did you find the fragrance to last? I’m thinking 3-4 days? I would love to do this as an activity in my science area for preschool!!!
The scents last quite a while – we had ours out for a couple of weeks.
Could you post a link to your printables?
Pleae will you send me the link for the lables for the smelling bottles. Can’t wait to try this actiivity
I have updated the post with a printable copy of the labels. I didn’t have it available in the past.
great post so good luc, nice to meet you
people in the comments were talking about cinnamon. I just want people planning on doing this to know that cinnamon powder is dangerous when inhaled, so please make your sensory activities safely since it is such a great smell.
I made scent bottles, too. I made them out of empty elmers glue bottles.
That’s a great idea!
I was wondering how many drops you put on the cotton wool to make it smell strong enough?
I don’t recall specifically but I’d add a good amount to soak the cotton ball without dripping out of the container. Then the scent will last longer.
This is a wonderful sensory activity idea that can be adapted for people living wth dementia. Loveky!
Nice to be here, good work to see here
How long does the smell last for?