---

Background

---

Our five senses are the greatest tool a scientist has in the field.  We can use our sense of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch to discover and explore the natural world.  Each of these senses brings a different level of observation and therefore knowledge of what is being studied.  

This activity can be done as a whole class, pairs, or small cooperative groups.  It should be easy to adapt to any classroom structure.

Vocabulary

---

Say each word and have students act out the meaning or experience different textures. Go over the 5 senses as per the “Attention Grabber” below.

Observation: a fact that is based on information gathered
Texture: how an object feels (e.g., soft, smooth, rough, bumpy)
Sense:  a power that a human or animal has to experience its surroundings; includes sight, smell, taste, hearing, and touch.

---

Attention Grabber

---

Hold one arm straight out from the side of the body (like and airplane wing) and touch the very tip of the nose.  NOW do it again with eyes closed!  Did you touch the tip of your nose? Another part of your nose?  Why?  

Discuss with students that many people rely on their sense of sight to do most activities in life.  When we take away one of these senses (like sight), we need to rely on our other senses to help us navigate through the world.

Garden Activity   

---

Part 1

• Go over the five senses with the group.  
• In the garden students will use the five senses to experience common objects.
  • Sight: flowers, veggies, fruits, decorations, and animals
    • Have the students pay close attention to detail.  To help them understand relative positioning of objects, ask them questions similar to “Is this flower above the ground?  Below the ground?”
  • Smell: herbs – many of the herbs are fragrant and liked by the students
    • Have students close their eyes when they smell.
  • Taste: anything!  rhubarb, fennel, edible flowers, peas, etc.
    • Try tasting with their nose pinched closed too!  The sense of taste and smell are connected!  They do not work well on their own!   
  • Hearing:  birds, bees, squirrels v. cars, planes, people
    • This is best done with open eyes then closed eyes.  After 30 seconds of quiet listening time, have the students raise their hands and show on their fingers how many “natural” sounds they heard, then how many “man-made” sounds they heard.  
  • Touch: anything!  Lamb’s ear plant is a favorite!
    • The students can touch with their fingers then with their elbow.  Which is more sensitive?  (They fingertips have a high concentration of sensory nerves compared to other parts of the human body!)

Part 2

• After taking a FIVE Senses walk around the garden have each student choose one object and describe it using as many of their five senses as they can (be sure that what they choose is SAFE!)  Have students orally share with the class their observations (this can also be done in pairs.)
• Use these objects from the garden that the students choose (e.g., leaf, stone, bark, piece of trash, etc.)  The teacher will first sort them into groups by color.  Have students guess what characteristic was used to sort the objects.  The teacher may say “What is the same about all of these objects?” while pointing at one of the groups.   Do this again with another physical attribute (e.g., color, shape, texture, size, weight)
• Now have students compare and sort the objects by a different physical attribute still using the class’s objects.  This can be done by an individual student or as a cooperative class.    
• Have students choose one group (e.g. the red color group) to create a drawing of their observations of the similarities.  Be sure to tell students to pay close attention to DETAIL in their drawings.

Wrap Up

• Have students share their drawings with the class

• Discuss other ways to record their observations besides drawings (writing, voice recording with description, take samples of objects, etc.)

What’s Next?

• As a class, plant some bean seeds in the garden.  Have students keep a Bean Journal to record their observations using writing and drawings.

• At home, encourage students to take a five senses walk in their OWN neighborhood.