The Scent of Mint

We unpacked the layers of our flower press this morning to reveal the dried flowers, petals and leaves of the fall. We gathered sprigs of fresh mint from our garden. Using these special ingredients, we created a fragrant "salad" for our Xiang Bao pouches. To make the Xiang Bao, we decorated cotton fabric squares using fabric markers and images of spring time flowers. Inside each fabric square, we wrapped the petal and herb mixture and secured it with a rubber band. The gentle, soothing scent of mint from the Xiang Bao that we tied to pieces of yarn to wear as necklaces was irresistible.


Xiang Bao are made and worn by children in China as seasons change and children spend more time outdoors. Traditionally, Xiang Bao are worn to protect children from illness and danger. In kindergarten our Xiang Bao were created in response to the concerns children have been expressing at school the past week.

We invited the children to add any worries they have to their petal and herb "salad." We suggested that the scent of mint and the beautiful petals help us relax. We thought how the little pouches could help us soothe our worries, tucked deep inside. A little bit of aroma therapy, tucked carefully inside a little piece of cotton fabric, seemed to engage a very cheerful mood.

Through the Xiang Bao activity, the children made an important re-connection to their garden, combing elements of the fall harvest of the Asters, zinnias, and coneflowers with the arrival of a spring and a greening of our garden with the mint plants.

Our visit to the garden to collect mint sparked some interest among children in returning to the garden later this spring to look for worms.