Kids love learning about the five senses and it is the perfect topic for loads of fun activities in math, ELA, art, and of course, science! We will read Za Za’s Scent-Sational Super Power, a fantastic book about the sense of smell that is HOT off the press! For five senses STEM experiments we will use Pop Rocks, make our own braille to study our sense of touch and even do a jelly bean taste test. Plus, the five senses-related art projects will blow your mind (especially if you are a kid!). But, before we begin, join our Facebook Group and “like” our Facebook Page, so you won’t miss out on any of our educational fun!
🧪 The 5 Senses STEM Science Experiments
There are tons of great science experiments related to your five senses! Take your pick!
- Pop Rocks are the perfect thing to observe your five senses. Give your child a packet of Pop Rocks, have them look at it, smell it, touch it, taste it and listen to it (as they are eating it)!!! Then as a writing bonus, have your child fill out this Pop Rocks Science worksheet!
- Explore your sense of touch by printing out this Braille alphabet and placing a dot of white glue (or hot glue) on each of the dots. After the glue has dried, put a blindfold on your child and have them see if they can differentiate between different letters.
- Since I know lots of you loved our Money Lesson Plan, this is another really cool penny experiment! Did you know that pennies actually make different sounds when they fall on a hard surface, depending on when they were made?! It has to do with whether it is a solid copper penny or a copper-plated zinc penny! Pennies before 1982 are made of 95% copper, whereas pennies after 1983 are made of zinc and just plated with copper. Use your sense of hearing to see if you can differentiate between the two pennies (here is more information)!
- Older kids will enjoy Scientific American’s taste test experiment, along with younger kids! It shows how your senses of taste and smell are connected, by observing how your ability to taste food is effected by your nose! All you need are some jelly beans and a partner to do this experiment.
- Watch this video to learn a fun, catchy song about your five senses.
📚 Za Za’s Scent-Sational Super Power Review
Alexis Wintrob, a fantastically talented mama of two super sweet twins, recently published the book Za Za’s Scent-Sational Super Power. The story is about a young girl whose nose would never be the same after a surprise encounter with Lizzy, a honey-scented, pink, purple, yellow polka-dotted bee. Armed with her new scent super power, Za Za embarks on memorable fragrance-filled adventures. How perfect is that for reading material on the five senses?! If you do not have the book yet, you need to head over to Amazon, because it has quickly become a bedtime story favorite for many kids! While you are waiting for it to arrive, you can listen to Alexis read the book below!
Do you want some five senses reading practice for your kids? Print and make this free five senses easy reader!
✏ Five Senses Writing Prompts & Free Worksheets
- Kindergarten – 2nd Grades
- Write a poem about your five senses using this free worksheet.
- Have fun with these smell and taste tests, and then write your hypotheses and results on the worksheets at the end.
- If you have apples on hand, this is a great workbook! You will use your five senses to explore apples and then write about it.
- Do you have popcorn? If so, then this popcorn mini-unit (including writing worksheets!) is perfect to explore the five senses.
- Write your own five senses, easy reader book here.
- Here is a HUGE packet of five senses worksheets (including writing, math and reading), much of which would be great for preschool on up!
- 3rd – 5th Grades
- Five Senses Writing Prompt – Let’s do a follow-up to our Kids Architect for a Day lesson plan, and write about the home you are living in. This may sound simple, but I want you to use all five senses to describe it! What does your home smell like? Do certain rooms have a different scent than others? What sounds do you hear? Are there any creaking floorsboards? What do you feel? How does the carpet feel under your bare feet, compared to the cold bathroom tiles?
- Do you tend to use the same adjectives over and over again in your writing? Use this creative writing tool to work on brainstorming adjectives and writing about your five senses.
🧮 Five Senses Math Activities
It has been proposed that origami is a very useful tool for students who are deaf or hard of hearing. So let’s take a look at the math behind origami! The Early Math Education department at Stanford wrote this fantastic post to “fold some math into your day!”
Here are some additional five senses math options too!
- Kindergarten – 2nd Grades:
- Sorting and charting are important math concepts to work on. Complete this printable, five senses, sorting chart activity.
- 3rd – 5th Grades:
- Read this great presentation from the math department at the University of Pennsylvania about the mathematics of hearing.
🖌 The 5 Senses Art Projects
Let’s do some fun arts and crafts projects that show some neat “tricks” our vision plays!
- Make a kaleidoscope to see how reflecting mirrors impact your vision! You will need reflective paper and a petri dish to make this gorgeous kaleidoscope. If you prefer a more basic version, try this one (which uses items that you likely have around your house).
- Have you ever heard of a thaumatrope? It is a picture on a stick and as you spin the stick, the picture moves like an animated movie. The options are endless with this old fashioned toy that you can make with just paper and a straw!
- Another option is to make Steve Spangler’s Disappearing Color Wheel. This wheel is made up of primary and secondary colors, but as you spin it around, the rainbow becomes all white!
And the most fun part… share a photo or video of your five senses science experiments, your five senses art projects, or any of your other fun activities on Facebook! Make sure to include a link to this website or to our Facebook Group and Facebook Page, so that we can see it too! I’ve purposefully added a lot of options for parents who need to keep their kiddos occupied for more time and to allow you to cater to your children’s preferences.
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