My five senses

A learning story: "My five senses go on a walk"

Take a pretend "senses walk." Have all of the children stand upand begin walking in place. Start the story.

"Oh, it was a beautiful day. The weather was warm, the wind was blowing gently, and Tommy and his mother decided to go for a walk to the park. They packed a picnic lunch and began to walk to the park.

While they walked they looked (stop and let the children point to their eyes) for animals, birds, and insects. The neighbor's dog came up the walk toward them. Tommy knew this dog very well and asked if he could pet her. (Stop and let the children touch their hands.) Her fur was so soft and silky.

On they went to the park. Oh, no! Tommy and his mother held their noses. (Stop and let the children do the same.) Guess what they smelled? You're right, they smelled a skunk. They started walking faster to get away from that smell. Soon they were far enough away and they could let go of their noses. They were a out of breath since they had been walking so fast.

They walked a little slower and did not talk for a while; they just listened to the sounds around them. (Stop and let the children point to their ears.) They could hear lots of things. What do you think were some of the sounds they heard? (Let the children answer.)

Finally they reached the park. It had been a long walk and they were hungry. They sat down under a big willow tree and enjoyed their lunch. (Let the children point to their tongues.) Tommy played and his mother rested in the green grass. After a while, Tommy got tired. He and his mom walked back home."

For extra fun, go through the walk backwards, beginning with all of the sounds Tommy and his mom heard near the park. See how many of the details of the story the children can remember. Go for a walk with the childen!

All ears

What you need:

• Empty 35mm film containers
• Tape
• Construction paper
• Sand
• Water
• Rice
• Popcorn kernels
• Pebbles

What you do:

• Fill pairs of clean, empty, small plastic containers with identical amounts of sand, water, rice, popcorn kernels, or pebbles.
• Securely tape each snap-on lid in place.
• Attach small construction paper circles to the bottom of the containers to color-code each pair. This will help the children check to see if they are right.
• Each child takes a turn gently shaking each container and listening very carefully.
• They try to match the sounds they hear. When finished, they can turn the cans upside down to see how well they did. Now that's a listening challenge!

In the bag

What you need:

• Purse, backpack, or bag
• Interesting items: comb, toothbrush, sponge, spoon, small doll, toy car, stone, paper cup, crayon

What you do:

• Choose several of the items listed. Put them into the purse, backpack, or bag.
• Have the children feel inside the bag and describe the item they find.
• Help them use words such as long, short, smooth, soft, round, hard, etc.
• After the children have done this several times, ask one child to describe the item without letting the other children see it and let the other children try to guess what the item is.

Songs

A little apple seed

Sing to the tune of "The Eensy-Weensy Spider"
Once a little apple seed
Was planted in the ground.
Down came the raindrops,
Falling all around.
Out came the big sun,
Bright as bright could be.
And that little apple seed grew up
To be an apple tree.

The shape-up song

Sing to the tune of "The Farmer in the Dell"
We're jumping up and down
We're jumping up and down
We're getting lots of exercise
We're jumping up and down.

We bend and touch our toes…

We kick our legs up high…

We jog around the room…

We wiggle our whole body…

We stretch up to the sky…

CAUTION: Young children can choke on small objects and toy parts. All items used for children under three years of age and any children who put toys in their mouths should be at least 1¼ inch in diameter and between 1 inch and 2¼ inches in length. Oval balls and toys should be at least 1¾ inch in diameter. Toys should meet federal small parts standards. Any toys or games labeled as unsuitable for children under three should not be used.

Other items that pose a safety risk and should not be accessible to children under three include, but are not limited to: button batteries, magnets, plastic bags, styrofoam objects, coins, balloons, latex gloves, and glitter.

Activities 3-2