After reading one or several of the books on My Five Senses, including Miss Humblebee’s Academy ebook My Five Senses, spend some time using their senses to experiment with science.
Looks the Same, Smells Different
Materials: 2 clear plastic cups, white vinegar and water
Instructions:
- Pour water into one cup and vinegar into the other. Cover each cup with a napkin to mask the vinegar smell.
- Show the cups to the children. Tell them that one cup holds water and the other holds something sour. Ask if they know a way to tell which one is good to drink without tasting? Can they see the difference? Feel it? Lead them to suggest smelling the items.
- Let your child smell both cups and tell you which cup has water.
Smells the Same, Tastes Different
Materials: 2 clear plastic cups, salt, sugar and teaspoon
Instructions:
- Put a teaspoon of salt into one cup and a teaspoon of sugar in the other. Show the cups to the children and tell them that both are things that people eat. Ask them to suggest ways to identify the contents. Can they see a difference? Smell it? Feel it? Have the children try each of these.
- Spoon a tiny amount of each substance into the children’s hands, one in each hand. Let them taste the items. Remind them that they used the sense of taste to do this.
Looks the Same, Tastes Different
Materials: 2 clear plastic bottles of soda (brown colored) with labels removed, 2 small cups for each child
Instructions:
- Show the children the bottles of soda with the labels removed. Ask if they think both bottles have the same contents.
- Make sure the children watch while you pour a small amount from each bottle into their cups. Do they sound different when you pour them? How do they look?
- Ask them to touch the liquids. Do they feel different?
- Let the children taste the sodas. Can they taste the difference?
