A Feast for Our Senses
Beautiful gardens
by Janice Ross
Suitable for Key Stage 3
Aims
To consider how a garden can be a place to feast our senses.
Preparation and materials
- You will need the PowerPoint slides that accompany this assembly (A Feast for Our Senses) and the means to display them.
Assembly
- Point out that in the Bible, God places the first people in a garden. The garden is called the Garden of Eden and it is very well-watered and lush.
Ask the students, ‘Why do you think that God chose a garden rather than a village, city, mountain resort or seaside?’
If possible, pause to allow time for discussion, and then listen to a range of responses. - Show Slide 1.
Point out that we often use the word ‘feast’ to describe a huge meal or banquet. However, gardens provide a feast for our senses.
Suggest that we can feast on something with our eyes, ears and noses as well as by tasting or feeling it. If we feast our eyes on something, we look at it for a long time with great attention because we find it very pleasing. - Gardens provide a feast of colour.
Show Slide 2.
They provide a feast of smells too.
Show Slide 3.
Here, we can see roses, sweet peas and lavender, all of which are scented flowers.
Show Slide 4.
You can often find a feast of sound in a garden, including birdsong and the buzzing of bees and other insects.
Show Slide 5.
A garden also provides a feast of touch. We might enjoy the feel of water running through our fingers in a fountain, or we might enjoy sitting on soft grass.
Time for reflection
Identify that a garden is bursting with life. There is growth and movement all around, such as insects scurrying across stones, bees buzzing around plants and butterflies flitting between flowers.
However, a garden can also be a place of relaxation and refreshment.
Suggest that the Garden of Eden must have been a great feast to Adam and Eve’s senses, but initially, it was also a place of peace.
Show Slide 6.
Explain that the picture on the left shows someone sitting on a swing in the cherry blossom orchard at the Alnwick Garden in the north of England.
Ask the students what words might describe the experience of sitting there.
Tell the students to look at the picture on the right, which shows someone lounging in a hammock. Ask the students what words might describe the experience of lying there.
Listen to a range of responses or pause to allow time for thought.
Lead the students to think about feelings of peace and quiet, time-out, dreaming and relaxation.
Emphasize that the holidays are a special time for us to take a break from the rush of school and work. It is good to spend time reflecting on the past months, to stop and think.
If we have a garden, it’s a good place to spend time relaxing. If we don’t have one, there are many parks where we can enjoy time in nature.
Mention other local beauty spots where the students might be able to spend time this summer.
Prayer
Dear God,
Please help us to take time this summer to stop and reflect on the past year.
Please help us to have the courage to be honest and identify the times when we would have liked things to be different.
Please help us to make good choices.
Please help us to appreciate the importance of relaxation and reflection.
Amen.
