GAM Smelling Bottles

The smelling bottles refine the olfactory sense through matching. Working by nose alone, the child smells each bottle and finds its pair, sharpening awareness of scent and building a vocabulary for what they notice.

The set is a wooden box with two compartments holding 12 glass bottles, 6 colored white and 6 colored red. The two colors mark the two matching groups, so the child pairs a white bottle with its red partner.

With these montessori sensorial materials the teacher prepares the bottles with a variety of pairs of scents. Because the set can be refilled, the smells can change over time, keeping the matching work fresh.

The child smells one white bottle, then searches the red group for the matching scent. Splitting the bottles into two colors gives a clear structure: one bottle from each group forms a correct pair.

The smelling bottles fit the sensorial period of a Montessori classroom, generally preschool and early primary children who can focus on one sense at a time and enjoy careful matching by smell.

Handle the glass bottles gently and keep them upright in their box. Wipe the wooden box with a dry cloth, store away from heat and sun, and refresh the scents as they fade to keep the exercise clear.