Using Colors & Scents in a School Room or Study Area

Most classrooms have white or off-white walls, ceilings, and door frames. There is usually a large white board or green chalkboard on one wall. Most often, there are several desks and tables in shades of brown and greys. In many classrooms, there is also a lot of bright colors splashed throughout the room. It may be on signs, artwork, bulletin boards, books, pillows, baskets, posters, etc. The younger the kids are that attend that room, the more color (and the more the colors are primary colors). Do the colors in the room make a difference in children’s ability to learn? What about the scents in a room? There are lots of different smells mingled in a classroom, and the smells differ from one classroom to the next. Below you will learn which colors and scents actually help students to focus, remember, concentrate, and create.

Do you know why many fast food restaurants use bright red and yellow-orange colors in their eateries? It is because studies have shown that these colors stimulate the appetite. The bright red also evokes feelings of spontaneity and activity. Another words, fast food restaurants want you to order plenty of food, eat, and then get out of there.

Obviously, that is not the feelings we want in a learning environment! However, we can use the information from studies on how color affects people. We can use it to help us choose colors that will elicit focus and concentration. We can also look to studies on scents to help even more to provide that ideal learning atmosphere. You may not be able to (or want to) make any drastic changes to your room, but even small ones can make a difference. I’ll share with you some of the colors and scents that you might want to consider.

Colors

Look around the room and see if you have the colors yellow, green, blue, purple, and white in the room. You will want to take note of what shades or hues of the colors you have in the room already. You will also want to look at how much there are of those colors. Below I talk about each of these 5 colors, and how to use them in your schoolroom.

White

The color white gives the feeling of cleanliness and clarity. You probably already give your kids white paper for much of their work. This is especially good for creative work, and for brainstorming. It is also good to have some white in the room. Maybe your walls are already painted white! In that case, you can just add some of the following colors as accents. If not, would white trim look good with your wall color? I recommend having a large white board (either a portable one or one mounted on the wall). Other ways to add white would be with bookshelves, cupboards, cabinets or baskets.

Yellow

A small amount of true yellow brings a feeling of happiness, energy and joy to a room. Yellow is also said to stimulate logical thinking, curiosity and creativity. True yellow is said to help sharpen memory and concentration! This may make you want to paint everything yellow, but too much yellow can trigger some restlessness and uneasiness in some kids. To add some yellow, but not too much, try adding a yellow boarder/frame around your white board and/or bulletin boards. Many school posters have yellow, so a few of these on the walls in a room may be just the right amount of yellow. Keep in mind that it is good to have the yellow balanced out, so the color is not concentrated only in one location.

Green

Green is good for communication and peace. Many shades of green will work, but avoid bright greens. Some shades pair well with yellow, and make great bulletin board backgrounds and pillows, cushions, or fabric accent pieces.

Purple

Light purple encourages creativity and imagination. It’s also said to foster empathy. Most often white is the color of paper used. Light purple, light green, a light yellow, and light blue colored paper can also be good to use sometimes. I especially like printing reference pages on colored paper. This makes it easier for kids to find the one(s) they need (i.e. all art vocabulary pages are printed on light purple paper).

Blue

A sky blue (preferably a pale hue) can bring a sense of calmness to your room. If you notice that your kids seem too energetic, try adding a little more of a sky blue color in your room. High windows that a child can look up and see the sky through is awesome to have for clear days. Maybe you don’t have windows with a view of primarily only the sky, or it is overcast a lot where you live. In that case, I recommend putting up a large serene picture of the ocean and sky. The ways mentioned above for adding only a limited pop of color to a room (i.e. in fabrics, borders, posters, etc.) can also be applied to this color. Many people say blue is their favorite color!

Scents

Colors can do so much to bring the desired visual atmosphere to a room, and scents can also. We often don’t think about the smell or smell(s) in a room unless it is pungent (which if you have been in a classroom full of teens you probably know this well). Keeping the smells subtle and the room smelling fresh is the ideal. Of course, the ideal way to do this is by opening the windows for fresh air when you can. It is also good to have a safe way to disperse desired scents.

Essential Oil Diffusers

I prefer using essential oil diffusers for diffusing scents. It allows me to choose the amount of scent, and the desired essential oil or oils. Essential oils are scents from nature. They can be purchased in blends ready to put in the diffuser, or you can purchase the single essential oils and blend them to your preference. Basil, Lemon, Rosemary, Cedarwood, Vetiver, Spearmint and Lavender can be used in combinations to make a pleasant smell that helps with concentration, focus and memory. Two suggestions: 1- equal parts Lavender, Cedarwood, Vetiver & Spearmint; 2- 3 parts Lemon, 2 parts Rosemary, & 1 part Basil (or Spearmint).

Wax Warmers

Wax warmers are another common method of dispersing scent in your room. They are safer than candles because there is no flame. Also, most warmers heat the wax to a very low temperature, so it won’t burn skin. Warning: some wax warmers may heat it at a much higher temperature, so take precautions. Wax warmers can be purchased almost anywhere now, along with the scented wax melts that you place in warmer. The scented wax choices are endless. Some of the scented wax melts are very strongly scented! You will want to do some trial and error to figure out the amount to place in your warmer so that the scent is not overpowering. It can also be hard to find melts that have the scents that help students to concentrate and learn. Another option is to make your own wax melts (the livingwellmom.com has directions on how to do this).

Other Ideas

If you have a vent in the room, put a few drops of essential oil on a clothespin and attach it to the vent. For a small space, try putting essential oils on a cottonball or thick piece of cloth. Place the cottonball (or cloth) in a jar lid, and set the lid where it won’t be in the way. A great way to add lemon scent to a room, is by cleaning with lemon. Lemons have great cleaning power and they make a room smell great! You can make your own furniture polish, disinfectant spray, degreaser, etc. with lemons. I recommend watching a YouTube video on how to make the cleaner of your choice. Another idea is to bring natural items into the room, like a small mint or rosemary plant.

Hopefully you have found some ways to make the room the ideal room for your children to FOCUS, CONCENTRATE, and CREATE!

“Teachers encourage minds to think, hands to create, and hearts to love.“