Sunday, December 23, 2012

The 5 Senses in Action

This post makes me wonder, "Now why didn't I think of this before?"  It seems obvious, but somehow for 19 years it hasn't been.  For many years I've taught a quick little unit on the five senses during the first part of the year, so that later in the year when I teach science using my district's kits, the kids have some background into how scientists use their senses.  I thought my little unit was hands-on and meaningful until this year when I figured out that maybe the best way to understand the five senses is to be scientists who use their senses.  Um, duh?   So, I found five simple and inexpensive science experiments.  We made sure to talk about our senses along the way.  (I've included links to the experiments and pictures of various science journal pages.)

This is our first five senses science journal entry.

#1: Pop Rocks and Water

They enjoyed listening to and watching the Pop Rocks in the water, which also resulted in a little taste test as well.

#2: Skittles and Water


The S from the Skittles are supposed to float to the top of the water.  That's not how it worked out, but the kids enjoyed it regardless.

#3: Dancing Raisins


This was one of their favorites.  The raisins really danced.

#4: Walking Water


This one takes a little more time to get to the final result, but it's cool nonetheless.

#5: Pencils in a Bag


This really does work, and the kids thought it was amazing.

The words simple, inexpensive, meaningful, and effective come to mind.  If you're interested in trying any of these experiments, click on the pictures.  They'll take you to the directions.  I'm glad I finally figured out that my scientists can learn about their five senses while actually using them.  

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10 comments:

  1. Fun times while learning! I love having science journals- writing across different subjects. I know your students just loved doing all these experiments. :)
    Lori
    Conversations in Literacy

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    1. Lori, this is the first time we really used their science journals and it seemed like no big deal. I love that writing is just what they do. :)

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  2. I love these experiments. I'm adding them to my 5 Sense unit. Thanks for sharing!
    Petersons-Pad

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    1. Sheree, I'm glad you like them. I like how they are simple yet interesting. Enjoy!

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  3. Soooo fun!!! If we didn't have FOSS science curriculum I would sooo be doing these. Actually...maybe we can do it in June for some extra fun when all the required science curriculum is done! (We share kits across the district so we are on a specific and fairly unforgiving schedule. Upside is that all the materials are provided for us in these huge tubs that are replenished and delivered to and from our rooms.)

    Would love for you to check out the upcoming Shout Out Linky that I'm co-hosting with Katie Knight of Teacher to the Core!
    Growing Firsties

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    1. Lisa, I use the FOSS kits too. They are great resources. It's nice to have some wiggle room though to do other experiments as well. Thanks for coming by.

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  4. Finding this post was heaven sent. I needed to wrap up the 5 senses after break and this definitely hits the spot!! MERRY CHRISTMAS, TAMMY!!
    Robynn
    BusyBees

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    1. BusyBees, how wonderful to hear! I hope you and your kids enjoy. Merry Christmas to you too.

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  5. Great ideas! You make science seem so much less complicated than it has to be:-)

    Laurie
    Chickadee Jubilee

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    1. Thanks Laurie. I sure enjoyed these simple experiments. The kids did too.

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