Our Senses Understanding the five senses and how they are used. Science and Technology: 49. Draw Conclusions
Materials: Brown Paper Lunch Bags, Sample Foods (keeping allergies in mind), Feely Toys/Items (fuzz or puff balls), Scented Items (Cinnamon Stick), and Sand
Age Group: 4-5 years old
Beginning: Read "My Five Senses" by Aliki Brandenburg
Earlier: Discuss what you eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and hands are used for. Play head, shoulders, knees, and toes.
Middle: Pass around the bags, one at a time without allowing the students to look in or talk, after each students has received the bag, recall what it either smelled or felt like. When it is time for the tasting elements as a small group, keeping their eyes closed guessing what something tastes like. Ex. Mint Leaf (Keeping Allergies in Mind/ No Peanut & Tree Nut Products) After, when its time for sounds, play a variety of animal and nature sounds and discuss which animal or environment it may be. (Rainforest or City)
Later: Create each sense as a center, number the bags, have the children go around on their own and write their conclusion next to the correlating number.
End: The lesson ends once everyone has had a turn, and we can clean up.
Follow-up Ideas: Discuss the different textures, hard/soft, rough/smooth, or salty/sweet. Create a chart, of the things we do like and what we don't like to feel, taste or hear.
Does it Float? Children predict what they think will happen and explore density. Science and Technology: 48. Predicting
Materials: (From around the room) Rock, Natural Log, Spoon, Lego, Seashell, (plastic) Person, Cylinder or Bowl of Water
Age Group: 4-5 years old
Beginning: Read "Captain Kidd's Crew Experiments with Sinking and Floating" by Mark Weakland.
Earlier: As a large group have them verbally answer whether they think it will float or not before performing the experiment.
Middle: As a large group create a predictions chart of how many students say yes or no it will float, leaving a column to write what actually happened.
Later: As small groups each will have their own container of water, and set of items to experiment with, they will be responsible for writing what they thought would happen along with what actually happen.
Follow-up Ideas: Create the sink or float experiment in the sensory table, for the children to do as a part of centers. Also we can move on to oil and water/baking soda and vinegar experiments.
How We Move! Understanding the characteristics of people and animals and how they move or work. Science and Technology: 50. Communicating Ideas
Materials: N/A
Beginning: Read "MOVE!" by Steve Jenkins
Earlier: Discuss how animals get around and why animals move the way they do.
Middle: Create a circle diagram of those that fly, walk on two legs, walk on four, swim or can do multiple things. Discuss how people are different from that and the ways we move and limited ways we can get around.
Later: Discuss the animal kingdom and what their special body parts are used for also, like wings, beaks, horns, fins, and gils.
End: The lesson ends once a majority of the animals have been covered and the children lose interest.
Follow-up Ideas: Play "Roar like a Lion" by Patty Shukla making different animal sounds in the song. Also the children can either outside or in the gym make animal movements. Ex. Hop like a Bunny, Crab Walk, and Bear Crawl.