Kate Prusick: Five Senses

Introduction:

People have five senses. These five senses are touch, taste, sight, smell, and hearing. We use our skin, tongue, eyes, nose and ears to sense things.

Icebreaker:

· Which one of your senses do you think you use the most?

· If you had to lose one of your five senses, which one would you choose? Why?

Read Aloud: My Five Senses by Aliki

Presentation Outline:

· The Cerebral Cortex
· The Five Senses

o Touch

§ Skin

o Taste

§ Tongue

o Sight

§ Eyes

o Smell

§ Nose

o Hearing

§ Ears

Activity: Experiments

Touch: Explain that the first sense is called touch.

· The objective of this experiment is to have the kids experience the sense of touch.

o Place cotton balls, bubble wrap or sandpaper in each mystery box. Then pass out the mystery boxes one at a time. The kids will then put their hands into each box and try to identify each item.

· Discuss the skin

Taste: Explain that the second sense is called taste.

· The objective of this experiment is to have the kids experience the sense of taste.

o Have the kids put on blindfolds. The kids will each get a slice of a lemon, an orange and an apple. The kids will then put the food in their mouths and try to identify the food.

· Discuss the tongue and taste buds

o Show a “tongue map” and identify different places on the tongue where various foods taste best.

o Have kids taste sugar, salt, unsweetened cocoa powder and lemonade powder mix to experience sweet, salty, bitter, and sour tastes.

Sight: Explain that the third sense is called sight.

· The objective of these experiments is to have the kids experience the sense of sight.

o Place a number of objects on a tray. Show the tray to the kids; then hide the tray and remove one object. The kids will then try to identify which object has gone missing.

o Show an image on screen, then show a similar image and ask the kids to point out the differences between the two pictures.

o Show partial pictures and ask the kids to identify the overall picture.

· Discuss the eyes

o Look at each other’s eyes. Tell the kids that the pupil of their eyes gets larger to let light in when it is dark and becomes smaller when there is a lot of light. Assign each kid a partner and have them look at each other's pupils. Turn the lights off and on in the room. The kids will observe how their partner's pupils change size from large to small.

Smell: Explain that the fourth sense is called smell.

· The objective of this experiment is to have the kids experience the sense of smell.

o Have the kids put on blindfolds again. Place coffee beans, baby powder or cinnamon in each mystery box. Then pass out the mystery boxes one at a time. The kids will then smell each box and try to identify each scent.

· Discuss the nose

Hearing: Explain that the fifth sense is called hearing.

· The objective of this experiment is to have the kids experience the sense of hearing.

o Have the kids put on blindfolds again. Then play different instruments such as bells, shakers and tambourines. The kids will then try to identify each sound.

· Discuss the ears

Quiz: Senses Sentences

1. I smelled the roses in the garden. (smell)

2. I saw the moon and stars in the night sky. (sight)

3. The balloon felt very light in my hands. (touch)

4. My dinner tasted delicious. (taste)

5. I heard a bird singing outside my window. (hearing)

6. I smelled the fresh cookies baking in the oven. (smell)

7. I saw my baby sister crawl across the floor. (sight)

8. The kitten felt very soft. (touch)

9. I tasted my yummy ice cream cone. (taste)

10. I heard the siren of a fire engine. (hearing)