I’ve always considered myself a people watcher. It wasn’t until I took a children’s literature writing course that I understood the importance of using my” five senses” for observation. It has been some thirty years plus year since I was a child, and I’ve forgotten how to look at the world from the perspective of a child. I want to catch those thoughts and feelings in my writing for children.

These days when I go to the park, I sit at a picnic table. I watch and let the scenes sink into my subconscious. Then, I use my senses of sight, smell, sound, touch and taste to gather and record what I’ve observed. I scribble down these details on paper so I don’t forget them.

A look between a child and a caregiver, a gesture of a child’s hand, a tilt of a blond curly girl’s head or the dialogue from an almond-eyed child delights me. They stimulate ideas that flesh out my characters. I can see a hint of a smile, or hear a giggle that is exactly the way I want my story character to be portrayed.

I wonder what emotion is being felt as each step is taken by the child. Sometimes it is apparent by what I see. An injured child is easy to spot with their lowered heads, tears and even cries. When a child is having the time of their lives, their laughter fills the air. Their smiles stretch across their entire faces.

As I watch as kids play, I ask myself questions about what that experience is like. I take and concentrate on one sense at a time.

The Sense of Sight:

How does a younger child feel that might be different from an older child? Do the trees that line the park seem taller for the younger child? As they look up to the sky, what do the smaller children see as they swing higher? Can they see the bright sun shining down? Do they notice the different shades of blue in the sky?

The Sense of Smell:

As the kids’ play winds down, are they enticed by the smell of the foods coming from the nearby restaurant? From the slide, can they smell the juicy hotdogs and hamburgers as they sizzle on the grill? Do they smell the ketchup and mustard?

The Sense of Sound:

Can kids hear their mom’s encouragement from a nearby picnic table or is it lost among all the squeals of the other children? Do they notice if a child is crying beside them? Does the sound of laughter draw children from other structures?

Are the cars from the surrounding highways a distraction or have the children blocked it out in an intense concentration of being totally in the moment?

The Sense of Taste:

Do the foods eaten at the park really have a more awesome taste than the one that is eaten in at their own dinner table, or that of fast-food restaurant? As they bite into a hamburger made just for them, what is the taste like?

Do the drinks shared at the park with friends seem tastier? As they sip from the water fountain, do they drink longer? Is the water colder, clear and crisp?

The Sense of Touch:

What does the metal part of the slide feel like on the body of the child? Is it cold from the brisk spring wind or warm from the summer sun’s heat? Is there a rush of adrenaline as the child pushes themselves past the point of no return on the slide? Do they catch their breath as they reach the end and propel off the slide?

How does the breeze feel? Is there a difference between how that breeze feels at the top of the slide and at the bottom? Does that breeze gently blow gently on the child’s cheeks or slap their hair across their faces? Does it make them chatter from the cold or laugh in delight as it rushes against their faces?

So, I sit. I scribble madly to get my "senses" observations down on paper. It’s comforting to know that each time I visit a place where children are, there are more details to add.