Title: Conceptualising, Designing and Implementing a Scented Adventure Trail for Kindergarten Children
Stream: Interdisciplinary Art and Design Projects
Presentation Type: Oral Presentation
Authors:
Natalia Kucirkova, University of Stavanger, Norway
Elisabeth Stray Gausel, University of Stavanger, Norway
Abstract:
Smell is a key sense for navigating the environment but in comparison to visual or auditory senses, the sense of smell has been neglected in research more broadly and children’s education more specifically. This design-research study is part of a large-scale project funded by the Research Council of Norway, which aims to explore how smell affects children's learning. Drawing on insights from early childhood education, design thinking and reading studies, seven purpose-built olfactory boxes were designed. The boxes emit abstract and concrete smells and are part of an olfactory story exhibition for Norwegian children of kindergarten age (3-5-year-olds). The children were invited to embark on an adventure trail that followed the traditional story The Three Little Pigs with interactive resources, including the olfactory boxes. In our paper we report on the exploratory, multi-level mixed methods approach to create the olfactory boxes by addressing the research question: How can smell be implemented in story-related activities for kindergarten children as an approach to enhance their engagement in public exhibitions? We outline the central elements of the multisensory theory that guided the development of the olfactory boxes’ main features. We discuss how the use of various smells and scents added an extra dimension to children’s experience of a traditional fairy tale. We conclude with implications for multidisciplinary research methods and olfactory design.
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