the five senses

When I took out the container of marbles today I did the usual shaking, and playing with the fact that they are very NOISEY.  Then, I had the students put their hands inside to see if they could guess what was inside.  It was cold and rainy today and the marbles had been sitting on the window ledge all day.  The fact that the marbles were also cold really caught their attention.  So, I tried it too.  Sure enough, a container of cold marbles does feel pretty neat. 

Its something I have been experimenting more and more with lately-the idea of bringing all five senses into my classes.  Children are still discovering their senses and, even in their native language, they still don’t have all of the vocabulary to describe how they perceive things.  By using activities that directly involve senses other than just sight, we allow the children to express naturally in any language the things they experience around them.

Some activities you might try that appeal directly to the five senses….

Sight: Instead of using just flashcards, put some plastic color tinted paper over some toy glasses and play with those.  If you can find funky colored sun glasses from a dollar store, even better.  Have fun looking at the world in various colors.  For older students, point out the fact that mixing colors makes other colors. 

Smell: Pick up some liquid incense in fruit flavors from a dollar store.  Cross senses by smelling these and asking what color, not what fruit.  See if the students are able to make a connection between smell and color without mentioning the fruit first.

Sound: In addition to counting objects, you can count sounds as well.  Clap once, three times, five times, two times, etc. and have the children try and figure out how many claps.  Use tambourines or castanets instead of clapping.  Use any combination of objects that make interesting sounds.  Go outside and knock on the door.  Come in and ask the children how many times you knocked.

Touch:  Mystery Boxes are great fun.  Have the students reach inside and touch an object you’ve placed inside.  Ask them simple questions:is it big, small? Can they guess what it is? For older students, try using blocks or items of the same shape and count how many– by touch, not by sight. 

Taste:  For older students, Jelly Belly candy are a great way to experiment with taste and food without having to deal with food, cooking, or other potentially messy activities.