The Five Senses

This topic is best accomplished when done in two weeks. For young children it is hard for them sometimes to absorb so many ideas all at once. Therefore I have found it best to do the sense of touch and hearing the first week and then the sense of taste and smell the second week. But as always you accomidate to what works best for you.
I have broken this page down by sense. Under each heading you will find activites appropriate for each sense.
Have fun!!!

The Sense of Sight

Language: Talk with the children about the function of their eyes. Everyone has eyes and they have a very special job. Ask the children if they can identify the job of the eyes. Explain to children that everyone has eyes. Some eyes are different colors, some are a different shape. But the function of the eyes is just the same. (Depending on the age of the children you work with you might decide to enter into discussion the concept of being blind or color blind)
Group Activity: Take the children on a nature walk. Have the children describe to each other what they see in their surroundings. Art:After the nature walk have the children cut from old magazines pictures of what they saw outside. Glue the pictures to half a piece of construction paper and save for the Five Senses Book.
Game: Collect several items and place them in front of you. Have the children cover their eyes and remove one of the objects. After children have uncovered their eyes have them decide as a group which item is missing.
Outside: Collect several balls and a bucket. Have children throw the balls into the bucket from different standing points. The children will have to use their eyes to decide how hard or soft to throw the ball.

The Sense of Touch

Language: Define the sense of touch for the children. Ask the children what part of the body they use to feel things. Talk about skin and how it is used to feel different things. Also talk about hands and how everyone's hand is different.
Art: Make texture cards. Collect different samples of vinal wallpaper, cotten, sandpaper, sticks, leaves, tounge depressors, etc. Have the children glue the items on different cards. They can use the cards for sorting.
More activities comming soon!

The Sense of Smell

Language: What do we use to smell with? Talk about the nose and the job it performs. You may also wish to introduce the noses of animals and how they use their noses to find food.
Art: Make a closet freshener! Give each child an orange and a handful of cloves. Allow the children to identify the smells. Have the children stick the cloves into the oranges. Teacher take a small piece of ribbon and a straight pin. Loop the ribbon and stick the straight pin through it into the orange. Send home for a lovely hanging scent!!!!
Science: Make smelly jars and set them on your science table. Collect three or four baby food jars. Poke holes in the lid to let the fragrence out. In each jar put in a few pieces of cotten. In each jar add a different scent. For example, vanilla extract, lemon, pepermint drops, chocolate, water (remember water holds no scent), orange juice, etc.
Cooking: Read "Stone Soup" to your children. Have each child bring in a different vegetable. Follow the directions in the story and have a smell good treat!!!
Outside: Take a walk outside and smell wild flowers!

The Sense of Taste

Language: What part of the body do we use to taste things? Discuss the mouth and the tounge.
Art: My favorite food collage. Supply each child with a paper plate. Allow the children to look through old magazines and cut out pictures of their favorite foods to glue on their plates. You can even laminate the plates and use them as place mats at lunch time!!!!!
Science: The tasting table. Set out a variety of foods for the children to taste throughout the day. Keep out foods that are sweet and sour. (small slices of apples, oranges, lemons, carrots, etc. are fun)

The Sense of Hearing

Language: Discuss with the children what part of the body we use to hear with. Talk about the different sounds they hear with in the classroom. Art: Scrunch Paper Collage. Give the children different types of paper to scrunch up and glue to construction paper. (tissue paper, kleenex, writing paper, wax paper, foil, construction paper)
Dramatic Play: allow the children to experiment with different types of musical instruments and puppets. You will be amazed with the stories the children make up to go with the puppets. Allow the children to act out their play for the class.
Music: March to the beat of a drum. Teacher beat on a drum slow and then fast. Have the children move accordingly to the beat.
Outside: Noise hide and seek. Supply each child with a whistle or a bell. Have one child count to ten and the other children hide with their instrument. The seeker must follow the sounds that the hidden children make with their instrument.

Feel free to email me with your comments and ideas. I will post any and all ideas with due credit!!
Thanks
Jenni