Keystage 2 - Gardens - Sensory gardens

A sensory garden is full of plants that stimulate the senses. It might contain plants which are aromatic, colourful or are good to touch or taste. Some plants might even make sounds when their dried seed capsules rattle in the breeze.
  

Quiz

A sensory garden is designed so you can use all or some of your senses?

List the five senses.

Which of the plants below would be good in a sensory garden and why?
Mango Cotton Henna
Mango Cotton Henna
Banyan Marigold Rice
Banyan Marigold Rice
Cardamom Indigo Ginger
Cardamom Indigo Ginger

Handson activity

Taste
Do you know what these taste like?
Rice, sugar cane, mango and coconut.

Carry out taste experiments in class. Blindfold a partner; see if they know what they are eating. You have a go too. Then write a brief description of what you liked or disliked about the taste, texture and smell.

Smell
Get your teacher to put some of these foods and spices into containers:
coconut, tea, tamarind, garlic, ginger, black pepper, cardamom, chilli pepper and curry leaf.

Carry out smell experiments in class. Write a brief description of what each container smelt like and what you think it was. What did you like or dislike about the smell?

Touch
Textures are important in a sensory garden. Describe what these would feel like.
Coconut husk Cotton seeds Ripe mango Banyan tree bark
Coconut husk Cotton seeds Ripe mango Banyan tree bark

Sound
Go in to your school grounds or local park, lie on the floor, close your eyes for two minutes and listen to the sounds. How many different sounds can you hear?

Using recycled materials make wind chimes to hang up in your sensory garden.

Sight
Colours and shapes will make your sensory garden interesting and attractive.

Choose a plant from the Plant Cultures list. Make a tiled mosaic of it.