My Five Senses

Pratt's Educational Resources
The Senses Theme

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Day 1

Introduction (Pop Into The Senses)

Goal: To have the students begin to explore their five senses.

Anticipated Total Amount of Time: (25-35 minutes)

Materials: Popcorn kernels, Pictures from Magazines & The Chalkboard

1. Popping Popcorn (10-15 minutes)
Have students feel and look at unpopped kernels.
Pop the popcorn - Have the students watch, smell and listen as you pop the popcorn.
As your children watch the popcorn being popped, sing the song Popcorn Popping found on page 242 of the LDS Children's Songbook.
Talk about how popcorn looks like blossums on blooming apricot trees.
Give a cupful of warm popcorn to each student to feel and taste.

2. Pictures: (10-15 minutes)
Show the class pictures cut from magazines of people who are using their senses to explore objects.
Ask the children to tell you what is happening in each picture. As they tell you the words of that name the senses, you will write them down on the chalkboard (Seeing, Tasting, Smelling and Touching.)
Explain that these are our five senses which we use to explore and learn about our world.
Ask the students to name and point to the parts of their body that help them do each of these things.

3. Recognize Senses: (5 minutes)
Help the children realize that they explored the popcorn with each of their senses. Ask them to tell you the words that describe the corn before and after it was popped.

Day 2

HEARING

(Self-discovery)

Goal: To make the students aware of their hearing senses.

Objective: Students will be able to identify their surroundings by using the sense of hearing.

Anticipated Time: 20-30 minutes

Setting: Outdoors - Students must work in groups of 2 to 3's.

Materials:
Handout: Things That I Can Hear Outside - pdf

1.  Anticipatory Set:
To obtain the students attention; have the students listen to different sounds in the classroom, lunchroom, etc. You may have tape recorded sounds that are good to use; use them if you like. You can also use sounds that are near or in your home if you are home schooling.
Ask them: "What kinds of sounds did you hear?"

2.  Exploring The Outdoors: Allow the children to walk freely outdoors.
Have them listen to things around them.
Have them notice what is making a particular sound.
On the "Things That I Can Hear Outside" Worksheet, have the students draw or describe what they heard through drawings and/or writing.
Note: If the students can't draw; skip to the next step.

3.  Evaluation / Closure: Have the students tell you what they heard outside in a classroom discussion; inside or outside on the grass.
Make a chart based on their responses.
Evaluate the students participation in the classroom discussion and response on the "Things That I Can Hear Outside" Worksheet.

Day 3

SMELL / TASTE

(Directed)

Goal: To make the students aware of their sense of smell and taste.

Objective: Students will be able to identify particular fruits based on their smell and taste.

Anticipated Time: 45 minutes

Materials: Blindfolds, Plastic Wrap, Small Paper Bags, Blank Paper for Class Book, any 4 Inexpensive Fruits that are in Season; for example use:
oranges, apples, bananas, etc.

Note: Make sure you know if any students are allergic to any of the fruits that you choose.

Activities:

1.  Anticipatory Set:
In order to gain students attention the book titled Bambi's Fragrant Forest will be read and a snack will be given to them or any other book that involves the sense of smell.
2.  Fruit Smelling & Tasting
Wrap fruit slices in plastic wrap ahead of time.
Put each group of fruits in separate bags for each group.
Give each group a bag of fruit.
Have a student blindfold one student at a time and have that student smell, taste and guess what fruit they have.
Make sure you tell your class not tell give hints to the blindfolded student.
Have them discuss their experience in their groups.
3.  Evaluation / Closure:
To bring this lesson to a closure, review the importance of our smelling and tasting senses. Have the students write individually about their experiences they had during the lesson; including individual illustrations. Publish a class book.
Note: If the students don't write yet, have them draw their experience.

Day 4

TOUCH

(Guided)

Goal: To make the students aware of their sense of touch.

Objective: Students will be able to identify particular objects based on touch.

Anticipated Time: 45 minutes

Materials:

Sheet for table

Controlled Variables: Blindfolds, Pet Turtle (if you can find one,) Sand, Jell-O, Rocks, Bird's Feathers, Leaf, Shells, Blocks, Rubber Bands, Macaroni, Grass, Unsharpened Pencil, etc.

Note: You can use objects more than once.

Activities:

1.  Anticipatory Set:
To obtain the students attention; have the students touch a pet turtle and ask them how it feels.
2.  Controlled Variables:  Bring in the controlled variables and place under a table.
Have children sit around a table with a sheet hanging over the sides and the objects on the floor in a row.
Each child will feel the object in front of them and guess what it is when it is their turn.
After all the students have felt the objects, you will place a list of the objects on the board and as a class discuss what the objects felt like.
3.  Evaluation / Closure:   To bring this lesson to a closure, the objects will be graphed on butcher paper, according to its characteristics.

Day 5

Fun Reading Activity

Materials: Books About the Five Senses; see the list below, Sugar Cookies, Frosting, Decorations to go on top of the cookies; candy, raisins, etc.

Activities

1.  Read a Book or Two:  from The Senses Theme or  any other book about senses you enjoy reading.
2.  Decorate Cookies:  Make sugar cookies located at Sugar Cookies or Dairy-free Sugar Cookies or buy cookies and have the students decorate them how they desire.
3.  Read Another Book:  Read another book or two to them as they eat their cookies.
4.  Closure of The Week:  Have the students talk about the Five Senses they learned about this week. Have them relate their experiences they had throughout the week.