CLSJ Seminar: Children's scented stories with Professor Natalia Kucirkova

The OU's Centre for Literacy and Social Justice (CLSJ) presents ‘Children's scented stories: The power of smell in reading for pleasure’ in a seminar with Professor Natalia Kucirkova.

In this presentation, Natalia Kucirkova, Professor of Reading and Children's Development at the OU, will delve into the often-neglected senses of taste and smell, particularly in digital stories for children.

While visual and tactile experiences dominate, smell remains neglected in education and literacy, despite humans' remarkable ability to detect a trillion distinct scents.

The presentation centres on harnessing the potential of smell in a digitised world, exploring effective integration into children's analogue and digital stories.

Drawing on research in Norway and Malawi, Natalia will share insights gained from odour-enhanced stories, engaging children in smellwalks, conducting olfactory audits, and designing an exhibition with a smell-enhanced adventure trail.

Join us for a captivating exploration of enhancing children's learning through multisensory engagement.

Register to attend: Children's Scented Stories | Eventbrite

About the Centre for Literacy and Social Justice

Grounded in the OU’s historic legacy in respect of education and social justice, the Centre for Literacy and Social Justice (CLSJ) is building systemic, collaborative capacity – within and between teachers, schools and homes – in order to address inequalities in children’s literacy experiences through research and practice.

Aligning with the OU’s mission of being open to people, places, methods and ideas, the centre aims to understand and influence how literacy in its broadest sense can open up children’s worlds.

Find out more: https://wels.open.ac.uk/research/lsj/about