Maria Montessori taught us that children learn through their senses, that’s why she designed her materials to be multi-sensory.
Charlotte Mason taught us that “education is an atmosphere.”
Gathering inspirations from these pioneers, I’d like to share some of
the ways we unintentionally nurture a home that entices the senses, invites
explorations, and create memories of childhood that we hope to provide our
children for the years to come.
Sight
-movies, TV series, and Youtube videos displayed on the screen
-shelves and stacks of books inviting us to read
-artworks posted on our walls
-art materials spread on the floor as a child spends an evening “in the
zone”
-Superhero costumes, action figures, Nerf guns, swords, and light
sabers
-seeing both parents doing chores, having conversations over coffee,
crying or comforting each other, reading novels or playing computer games,
working as a team, having adventures, solving life’s challenges together
Sound
-waking up to the sound of a child playing a tune on the piano
-singing practices
-Daddy playing the guitar
-laughter from exchanging jokes and puns
-conversations at the dinner table
-rhymes of poems during poetry tea time
-stories being read aloud after evening baths
-a child learning his chords on the guitar
-thousands of questions about things, deep and mundane
-singing in the car
-old songs, classical music, or pop playing on the speakers or ear
phones
-cheering while playing video games or teasing while playing cards and
board games
Smell
-aroma of coffee brewing
-smell of popcorn popping on movie nights
-odor from sweaty boys’ heads after playing outdoors
-sweet smell of baby powder after baths
-cooking with herbs and spices
-the powerful smell of the “occasional bacon”
Taste
-homemade personalized mini pizza
-Mommy’s brownies and freshly-baked bread
-grilled cheese (sometimes with pepperoni & tomato sauce) and egg
sandwiches for snacks
-tea, cookies, sliced fruits while reading poetry
-Nachos loaded with cheese, meat, and veggies for dinner!
-a week of ice cream for dessert
-soup, congee, or hot chocolate on rainy days
-roasting marshmallows to make S’mores
-pork chops or spaghetti with hotdogs for sleepovers
-pancake brunches on lazy Saturday mornings
-beef stewed (Mechado) or boiled (Bulalo) over charcoal
Touch
-kneading dough or mixing pancake and muffin batter
-building Lego, solving a Rubik’s Cube, playing with Ooblek, making
homemade slime, sculpting clay
-grip on the pencils, crayons and markers when we draw, color,
freewrite, or do copy works
-warm mugs of tea with milk and sugar or honey and citrus
-the pleasure of petting a cat
-tears rolling on the cheeks when a pet died
-high five’s, fist bumps, hand-shakes, and holding-hands
-tight hugs, awkward hugs, and kisses on the cheeks before bedtime
When it comes to providing an atmosphere of love and learning, these
are just some of the things that come to mind. Without even trying hard, we can
foster a rich, stimulating environment at home.
Because life, in its fullness, is a multi-sensory experience.
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