Smells of Spring

Learn:

Each season has its own smell, and each is different based on where you live. Think about your favorite smells of summer, winter and fall. Some are manmade - I love the smell of baking cookies in winter! - and some, like the smell of pines in the summer heat, are created by nature.

One of my favorite smells is that clean, fresh smell right at the start of a warm spring rain. This phenomenon was actually studied by scientists in Australia, and in the 1960s, the term “petrichor” was coined by Isabel Joy Bear (what a great name for someone who studied nature) and Richard Grenfell Thomas to describe the smell. They wrote:

“The diverse nature of the host materials has led us to propose the name 'petrichor' for this apparently unique odour which can be regarded as an 'ichor' or 'tenuous essence' derived from rock or stone.”

Simply put, it’s the smell that comes from the ground when water releases oils within the soil, clay, rock, or stone.

Enjoy the petrichor as you explore outdoors this spring!

Read:

Ryan T. Higgins has some fabulously funny books - I highly recommend checking them out at your local library or bookstore and reading them with your favorite people! His “Bruce” series features a hilariously drawn, grumpy bear. A perfect book for this spring season is “Spring Stinks”. Along with being an excellent, short, humorous kind-of Easter book, it got us thinking about the smells of spring and which ones we do or do not enjoy!

Do:

This is an easy one: Go Outside! Go outside in warm weather, cool weather, sunny days, rainy days, and windy days. Take a moment to notice the smells that are around you. Which ones are natural? Man made? Which do you enjoy? Or not?

As an extra challenge, translate your observations and reactions into a haiku. You remember this one! Three lines: 5 syllables, 7 syllables, 5 syllables. How could you describe the smells you smell with words?