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osmoz KIDS is a fragrant section of our site that’s both educational and fun. It will allow you to initiate your children, nephews or nieces, cousins or friends’ children into the delightfully surprising world of scents. Each issue will present a different theme, with smells to discover in a playful, simple and safe way that can keep your little rascals busy on a rainy day…
 

What does green smell like?
 
Today we’re going to have some fun doing experiments.
We’re going to find as many green things (herbs, vegetables, sweet treats)
and see what they smell like!
Green and natural
Let’s start outside, because lots of green things grow outside. Our first experiment: the odor of grass. The best way to smell grass is to take a deep breath while someone’s mowing the lawn. It isn’t easy to describe the odor: it’s a strong, fresh, sort of wet smell... But that gives you a good idea about the “green” smell, because a lot of times, when adults smell a green fragrance, they say it smells like freshly cut grass! There are lots more green smells outside, like stems, and leaves from trees. Thuja, (a plant that’s often used for hedges) has a sort of bitter smell; pine and fir-tree needles have a softer, slightly more resinous smell. In the woods, you can find moss. It has a dry, slightly sharp smell that will remind you of the forest. Some trees have very strong-smelling leaves. If you come across one of them, you should definitely try to smell the leaves. Fig leaves have a sweet smell when you break them in your hands: it’s green, with a hint of milk and coconut. The leaves of citrus trees, like lemon trees, have a really nice smell, too. To smell it, all you have to do is rub or scratch the bottom side of the leaf: it’s fruity-smelling and it will remind you of the smell of verbena, if you’ve ever drunk herb tea made from it... if not, you should try it!
 
Green and tasty
At home, you can probably find lots of green things. Here are two experiments to try with mom. Peel a cucumber: you can smell a moist smell, sort of like the sea; trim some string beans: they kind of remind me of the smell of freshly cut grass. In the kitchen, you can also try to sniff a green pepper (it’s fresh and a bit spicy-hot), basil (it’s gentler, but a little spicy too). And if you buy tomatoes, you have to smell the stem and the leaves. If you rub a tomato leaf, the smell is very surprising, it can even make your eyes sting. But there are plenty of other green herbs to get to know: like parsley and dill. They contain lots of iron, but a lot of kids don’t like them… Just like spinach (which smells bit like soil sometimes).

Green and sweet
There’s also plenty of sweet green stuff at home. If you have a sweet tooth, you should try pistachio ice cream and pastries. They’re green and very sweet. In fact, they put some almond in to give them a sweet, gentle taste, because salty pistachios don’t really taste like that. There are also some green fruits, like Granny Smith apples (they’re both sweet and tart), lime (it makes your moth pucker!) and honeydew melon (very sweet, and also wet and juicy, sort of like the way cucumber smells). Sometimes adults like to drink green tea. The smell is a little weird. Mint tea is green too, but it has a sweeter smell. I like mint better in candy and chewing gum… even if it does taste a little bit like toothpaste!.
   

 

 

For this experiment, you need:
- green things from the backyard, the garden, the kitchen or a grocery store
- a small notebook

Age range > 8+

Tips for parents:
- You can help kids take notes in the notebook about what they smelled and how they liked it.
- Don’t let kids taste all of the plants mentioned, some of them aren’t edible. Also, watch out for household cleansers, many of them are green or come in green packaging.
- There are plenty more green things to find and smell and sort into categories. It’s up to you!