“Old books smell weird.” The child stated, his face screwed into a distasteful expression as he put the book back on the table.

We were in the middle of our “Five Senses” activity, which opened with observations about the bookstore hosting our workshop. It must have been a strange sight, the small group of adults and children alike, sitting at a table with their eyes closed, but it was effective. As the children began to notice things they had not noticed before– the sound of quiet discussions, someone laughing, the blocky thud of a board game being replaced on the shelf– they began to get excited. Their voices became charged as they described what they heard, and they started building upon eachother’s additions until they had woven a beautifully detailed picture of the room in which we sat. Even when we moved on to other senses, describing the bookshelves and…