Exploring with Senses
Sight, Touch, Taste, Smell, Hear; There are many ways to know the world around us. Often we rely on our vision to give us information, but it can be rewarding (and fun!) to use other senses too. What senses do local creatures use to navigate their world? Why do dogs have such long snouts? How do bats find insects to eat? Activities involving the senses are immediately engaging. Try them out!
Activities
Touch
Hold a caterpillar, sq
uish some moss, trace the veins in a leaf, let a spider walk across your arm. What does it feel like?Rubbings: The texture of bark, wall surfaces, wood panels, rocks, and leaves can be felt and then made visual through crayon rubbings. Simply lay paper down on surfaces, rub with colored crayons, and experiment.
Find Your Rock: Using blindfolds can heighten awareness of the other senses. After the group is blindfolded give each person a rock to feel. Let them carefully detect fissures, bumps, smooth and rough areas, weight, and size. Collect the rocks and place them in a line or pile. Everyone can take off their blindfold and try to find the rock they had just known through touch alone.
Taste Exploring the world around us through taste may not be the best idea, but this sense can be used to add an exciting dimension to science activities. Everyone likes to eat! How about making edible owl pellets? Yum! You can use your favorite cookie dough or biscuit recipe and let the Club kids add shredded coconut to represent fur and animal cookies or teddy grahms to represent the animal bones. Stir in a little black food coloring, form into pellets, bake, and enjoy! Or perhaps you can make insects with mini-marshmallows and toothpicks. Encourage use of appropriate body parts and number of legs.
Smell
Compost, flowers, earthy smells. Can you smell damp? Can you smell dry? Can you smell when it is about to rain? It is fun to bring in dirt, flowers, and blocks of aromatic wood (leftovers at a lumber yard) for activities.
Sight
Compost, flowers, earthy smells. Can you smell damp? Can you smell dry? Can you smell when it is about to rain? It is fun to bring in dirt, flowers, and blocks of aromatic wood (leftovers at a lumber yard) for activities.
Name that Scent:
Place cotton balls in film canisters or other containers. Drop a small amount of a non-perishable liquid in each. Vanilla, almond, orange, soy sauce, etc. Let each member use their sense of smell to try and name the contents. Discuss how animals may use their sense of smell to find food, prey, or locate territory.
Hear
Place cotton balls in film canisters or other containers. Drop a small amount of a non-perishable liquid in each. Vanilla, almond, orange, soy sauce, etc. Let each member use their sense of smell to try and name the contents. Discuss how animals may use their sense of smell to find food, prey, or locate territory.
Hear
Musical Instruments:
Many creatures make musical sounds. The insect world is especially noisey. Some insects have body parts that act like drums or violins. Using materials found around the Club, you can make instruments and have a concert. What do the instruments sound like? How can you produce low or high tones?
Many creatures make musical sounds. The insect world is especially noisey. Some insects have body parts that act like drums or violins. Using materials found around the Club, you can make instruments and have a concert. What do the instruments sound like? How can you produce low or high tones?
Sight
Observing carefully is a skill. Club kids can develop their technique through activities, inquiry, and reflection.Field Sketching:
Practice drawing what you see. Or perhaps sketch objects quickly in one, five, and ten minute intervals. Kids can draw a tree from memory inside, then move outside and draw from life. Place the drawings side by side. How do they change?
