Sunflowers

At our Classroom of Smiles, we love using all of our senses when we learn. There is a Chinese proverb that states,

“When I hear, I forget.

When I see, I remember.

When I do, I understand.”

Below, we walk you through a typical morning session in one of our Classroom of Smiles in a city in Northern China. 

First up, we looked at the sunflowers and made observations. What color are the petals? Are all the sunflowers the same size? Our teacher, Nana, led the students in a small discussion. 

Then, we used our ears to listen to the sounds of the petals moving and the seeds shaking. Each child held a sunflower and made observations on what they heard. 

Third, we smelled the sunflowers. 

Fourth, we touched the flowers. Teacher Nana led the children in a song with hand motions (see the video below).

And finally, we used our mouths to taste the seeds. 

The toddlers in this classroom loved using all five senses to learn about sunflowers!