Category Archives: 5 Senses

Look Again! by Tana Hoban

            This is a great riddle book.  The children must look through a little peephole and guess the object.  The pictures are photographed in black and white to add more mystery to the object.

Materials

            Toilet paper tubes

Manila file folder with a 1-inch hole cut out of center. Interesting pictures that are large enough to use with your homemade peep file.

Animal “hand” pictures

Water beads

Vocabulary

Before Reading the Story

Start by playing I Spy with my Eyes (think of something in the room and then begin to explain it. The children must guess what you are looking at (I spy something that is red and has a white lace running through it and it is one Gerry’s foot. I spy something that is round and has numbers all around the edges. We use it to tell time). Explain to the children that today’s story is a guessing book. The children will look at a picture and then have to guess what it is. Introduce the book.

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Reading the Story

            Give the children plenty of time to guess the object behind the peep hole.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem-Solving; develops increasing abilities to classify, compare, and contrast objects, events, and experiences.

After Reading the Story

For older children you might allow them to try to describe objects around the room playing I Spy.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, and inventiveness.

Discovery

            Put the toilet paper tubes into the center to look through.  Also include any binoculars and magnifying glasses that you have.  Add objects from nature such as seeds, flowers, leaves, or add interesting yet unusual objects such as things made from stone, wood, or grasses. Encourage the children to look at objects closely.  Can they describe what they see?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships. AND Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes.

Make a copy of each animal hand picture and tape them to the wall. Ask the children to tell you what they all have in common? (They are hands painted to look like animals and are amazing).

Mathematics/Patterns & Measurement; begins to make comparisons between several objects based on a single attribute.

Music and Movement

            Sing My Eyes Are Little Windows to the tune of All Around the Cobbler’s Bench chorus. https://www.parents.com/fun/entertainment/music/pop-goes-the-weasel-sing-along-song-video/

My eyes are little windows and through them I can see

The birds and bees and flowers that are beautiful to me.

(the children can help make up other verses)

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem-Solving; develops the ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem.

            Cut out a triangle, a circle, a square, and a rectangle.  Do the following movement riddles with the children.

(Put the circle on the board)  What is a circle?  A circle is round.  Here is a circle go round and round and round.

(put the rectangle on the board)  What is a rectangle?  It has four sides.  2 long and 2 short make your finger slide.

(put the square on the board) What is a square?  It has for sides too.  But all the sides are equal, ready zippity, zippty, zippty zoo.

(put the triangle on the board) What is a triangle?  Watch me, it has 3 sides.  Count them all 1,2,3!

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; begins to recognize, describe, compare, and name common shapes, their parts and attributes.

Blocks

Ask the children what we look out of in a house? (Windows). Challenge the children to build a house with at least three windows.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; begins to be able to determine whether or not two shapes are the same size and shape.

Art

One a piece of white paper draw a black line about 4-inches long. Ask the child, “What can you draw with a single black line”? Give them magic markers and let them draw. Try with a circle or zig-zag line as a challenge to the children.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem-Solving; develops the ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem. AND Fine Motor Skills; progresses in abilities to use writing, drawing, and art tools, including pencils, markers, chalk, paint brushes, and various types of technology.

Library and Writing

            Bring in a variety of pictures that have lots of action going on (from magazines, center signs, a book with busy illustrations.  Ask each child to choose a picture to look at.  Have them describe 3-5 things about the picture.  Help them to tell details.  (The girl is wearing a sweater = the girl is wearing a red sweater that has one button buttoned.  She is smiling because she can do the buttons.  She is sitting on the chair next to the door).

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; develops increasing abilities to understand and use language to communicate information, experiences, ideas, feelings, opinions, needs, questions; and for other varied purposes.

Sand and Water

Put dried water beads into the table and allow the children to add water. Ask the children to watch the beads, what is happening?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations.

Dramatic Play

Bring in 6 chairs and make two rows of three. Pretend to be riding the bus to school. What are some of the things that you see on your way? You can make a list of what the children say they see and hang it on the wall. Later you can read the list with the children and ask them if that is something that they could really see or was it something made up? (On our way to school we saw; a person walking their dog, a garbage truck, a dragon, Spiderman, my Grandma’s house).

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem-Solving; develops the ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem. AND Approaches to Learning/Initiative & Curiosity; approaches tasks and activities with increased flexibility, imagination, and inventiveness.

Math and Manipulatives

Bring out your container of unifix cubes (Or other interlocking cubes). Ask each child to take a handful and make a tower. How many unifix cubes do you have? Can you make a tower with one more cube? Let the child build another tower. Can you make a tower with less cubes? Can you make a tower that is equal to your first cube?

Mathematics/Number & Operations; begins to use language to compare numbers of objects with tern=ms such as more, less, greater than, fewer, and equal to.

Outdoor Play

Have a scavenger hunt. Ask the children to find something that is round, flat, tall, made of wood, flexible, curved, etc..

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem-Solving; develops the ability to find more than one solution to a question, task, or problem. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; understands an increasingly complex and varied vocabulary.

Transitions

            Play What’s Missing? using the animal hand pictures. Put three pictures where everyone can see them (I tape these to a large flannel board). Cover the pictures (turn the flannel board around so the children can no longer see the pictures) and remove one. Turn it back so the children can see the pictures left on the board. Can they guess which is missing? If they can guess easily with three pictures, try 4, 5, etc..

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem-Solving; grows in recognizing and solving problems through active exploration, including trial and error, and interactions and discussions with peers and adults.

Resources

Too Much Noise, by Ann McGovern

            What happens when all the noises of the house keep you awake at night?

Materials

Vocabulary

  • Burro (another name for a donkey)

Before Reading the Story

            Ask the children what we use our ears for.  Talk about the importance of ears and how to take care of your ears (avoid really loud sounds/music, do not put things in your ears).    Explain that some people can not hear well or at all with their ears.  Ears sometimes get plugged and you can not hear very well but a doctor can help you to hear better.  If ever you think your ears are not hearing well, tell an adult. Tell the children that some people’s ears do not work properly.  Mime a sentence.Talk about being deaf or wearing a hearing aid.

Physical Health & Development/Health Status & Practices; bui.lds awareness and ability to follow basic health and safety rules such as fire safety, traffic and pedestrian safety, and responding appropriately to potentially harmful objects, substances, and activities.

Reading the Story

            Explain that today’s story is about a man whose ears work too good and he heard all kinds of sounds at night.  Ask them if they can guess what is going to happen? Introduce the book.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; demonstrates progress in abilities to retell and dictate stories from books and experiences; to act out stories in dramatic play; and to predict what will happen next in a story.

After Reading the Story

            Ask the children why they think the wise man had the old man get a cow and a burro and a dog and a cat? 

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest and involvement in listening to and discussing a variety of fiction, non-fiction and poetry. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Have the children sit very quietly for a minute.  Then ask them to help list some of the sounds that they heard.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develpps growing abilities to colllect, describe, and record information threough a variety of means, including discussion, drawings, maps, and charts.

Discovery

            Make a tape recording ahead of time of familiar household sounds (vacuum, water dripping, shower, door bell, dog barking, car driving by, horn).  Put the tape on and let the children listen and try to identify the sounds.

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem-Solving; grows in recognizing and solving problems through active exploration, including trial and error, and interactions and discussions with peers and adults.

Make a set of animal ears and the animals that they belong to. Can the children identify the correct ears to the correct animal?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects and materials.

Music and Movement

            Sing the alphabet song.  The second time around start off very softly and get louder and louder.  The third time start off loudly and get softer and softer.

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; knows that letters of the alphabet are a special category of visual graphics that can be individually named.

            Use you classroom instruments.  Can you play loudly?  Can you play softly?  Have the children sort the instruments by those that make loud sounds and those that make quiet sounds.

Creative Arts/Music; experiments with a variety of musical instruments.

            Sing, Do Your Ears Hang Low https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aH7A_pBOTkY

Do your ears hang low

Do they wobble to and fro

Can you tie them in a knot

Can you tie them in a bow?

Can you throw them over your shoulder

Like a strong brave soldier

Do your ears hang low?

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; demonstrates increasing ability to attend to and understand conversations, stories, songs, and poems.

Blocks

            Challenge the children to build a house.  Can they make it have a window and a door?

Approaches to Learning/Engagement & Persistence; demonstrates increasing ability to set goals and develop and follow through on plans.

Art

            Bring in clay or play dough to pound and roll.

Creative Arts/Art; gains ability tin using different art media and materials in a variety of ways for creative expression and representation.

Library and Writing

            Bring in books with pictures animals and note their ears. (Look at this rabbit’s ears; he must be able to hear really well.  Look at this dog’s ears, they hang down)

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects and materials.

Sand and Water

            Use water today.  Add containers that allow the water to pour at different rates (sprinkle, rush, splashing).  Talk about the sounds of the water as it flows from the container back into the water table.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; develops increased ability to observe and discuss common properties, differences, and comparisons among objects and materials.

Dramatic Play

            Act out night time rituals.  Encourage the children to snore as they sleep.

Creative Arts/ Dramatic PLay; participates in a variety of dramatic play activities that become more extended and complex.

Math and Manipulatives

            Hold two Popsicle sticks side by side and draw a shape that covers both (square).  Do this with a number of sets of Popsicle sticks.  Put all the sticks in a bowl and encourage the children to make the matching sets.

Mathematics/Geometry & Spatial Sense; shows growth in matching, sorting, putting in series, and regroup objects according to one or two attributes such as color, shape, or size.

Outdoor Play

            Sit outside and listen to all the sounds that pass through the play ground.  Do you hear any voices that you recognize?  Do you hear any birds or cars?  Listen carefully and you might hear an insect fly by.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials and observe processes and relationships.

Transitions

            Ask the children to listen carefully to the letter sounds that you make.  If their name begins with this letter sounds they may go to the next activity. /K/K/Kerry

Literacy/Phonological Awareness; shows growing awareness of beginning and ending sounds of words.

Resources

Thank you Buzz Feed for these animals and their ears.





Sounds All Around, by Wendy Pfeffer

There are so many kinds of sounds in our world. This book is a good introduction to the science of sound. It gives simple examples that many preschool children will be able to grasp.

Materials

  • Small boxes and Tupperware’s
  • A variety of rubber bands
  • A piece of rubber hosing (I had an old hose that broke)
  • 2 funnels and duct tape
  • Ear phones

Vocabulary

  • Vibrating (to shake back and forth very fast)
  • Howler Roars (loud howling sound)
  • Echolocation (listening to the sound waves or echo to find a location)
  • Sonar (a way to send sounds through the water)
  • Decibels ( how loud a sound is)

Before reading the story

Go through the five senses with the children.  Point to your eyes and ask what are these?  What are they used for?  Name me something that you see?  Do the ears last.  Tell the children that your story today is about your ears and all the sounds that they can hear.  Introduce the story.

Science/Scientific Knowledge; expands knowledge of and respect for their bodies and the environment.

Reading the Story

As you read, think about the sounds that the book is using.  Do you have a can of pencils that you can have close by to share the sound?  With the children make a quick clap or snap sound with your hands.  Have the children put their hands to their throat to feel the vibration and use your hand to show vibration on the page that talks about the inner ear bones.  On the page where it talks about echolocation, stop and allow the children the opportunity to repeat the word.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

After Reading the Story

Remind the children about what kinds of voices you use throughout the day. Talk about using your whisper voice at rest time, your talking voice during free choice time, and your shouting voice during outdoor play.

Language Development/Speaking & Communicating; progresses in abilities to initiate and respond appropriately in conversation and discussions with peers and adults.

Sounds start in your throat and come out your mouth.  Hum the Alphabet Song with hand on adams apple.  What other sounds can you make using your bodies only? (clapping, clicking tongue, slapping thighs, etc).

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops  increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question,task, or  problem.  AND Creative Arts/Music; experiments with a variety of  instruments.

Discovery

Give the children the boxes/containers and many rubber bands.  Explain that they are to wrap the rubber bands around the boxes/containers to make a guitar like instrument. Let them experiment making different sounds by using loose fitting rubber bands and tight fitting rubber bands over a variety of paper and plastic containers.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods/begins to participate in simple investigations to test observations, discuss and draw conclusions, and form generalizations. AND Creative Arts/Music; experiments with a variety of instruments.

Add stethoscope to listen to your heart.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Music and Movement

Play the YouTube Listen and Move by Greg and Steve .https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j24_xH5uvdA

Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multi-step directions.

Get out the musical instruments today and strike up a band.

Creative Arts/Music; experiments with a variety of musical instruments.

Use a tambourine to play Forward & Backward. Explain to the children that when you shake the tambourine, the children are to move forward. When you strike the tambourine the children are to move backwards. Try shaking and striking at different tempos and for varied lengths of time.

Creative Arts/Movement; shows growth in moving to different patterns of beat and rhythm in music. AND Language Development/Listening & Understanding; shows progress in understanding and following simple and multi-step directions.

Blocks

Put out wooden blocks today and help the children notice the sound they make as the children stack them or knock them over. Do different kinds of blocks make different sounds? Does the sound change by how high the blocks are stacked? Make sure to remind the children of any height stacking rule that you have in place.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and a variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.  AND Physical Health & Development/Fine Motor Skills;  grows in hand-eye coordination in building with blocks, putting together puzzles, reproducing shapes and patterns, stringing beads, and using scissors.

Art

Put music on near the easel today.  Use classical.  See if it effects how the child paints.

Creative Arts/Movement; expresses through movement and dancing what is felt and heard in various musical styles and tempos.

Sand and Water

If the season is right, fill the table with dry leaves today for the children to crunch. If not, find another medium that makes a noise for the children to listen to and experiment with today.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Add water to the table today and have the children listen to the sounds of it as it pours. Try adding tall containers, funnels taped to pieces of plastic tubing, and metal objects.

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.

Library and Writing

Put out any books on tape that you might have. Show the children how to use the headphones and adjust the volume to hear. Or let the children listen to stories on the computer.

Literacy/Book Knowledge & Appreciation; shows growing interest in in reading related activities, such as having a favorite book read; choosing to look at books; drawing pictures based on stories; asking to take books home; going to the library; and engaging in pretend-reading with other children.

Dramatic Play

Make a sound traveler.  Use a piece of rubber hosing 4-8 feet long. (I used a piece of old hose that had developed a leak).  Attach a funnel to each end with the duct tape.  Put one funnel end in the dramatic center and the other into the center beside (mine happened to be blocks).  A child can then whisper talk to a child the next center over. Make sure to remind them that this is a whisper tube so they do not shout in each others ear. (My class liked to pretend that they were calling the firemen, the pizza guy, or talking to their family at work).

Creative Arts/Dramatic Play; shows growing creativity and imagination in using materials and in assuming different roles in dramatic play situations.

Math and Manipulatives

Put alphabet letters into a box or bag.  The child picks one without looking.  Can the child name the letter they have picked?  Make the letter sound with the child.  Can they think of a word that begins with that letter sound?

Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; identifies at least 10 letters of the alphabet, especially those in their name. AND Literacy/Alphabet Knowledge; increases in ability to notice the beginning letters of familiar words.

Outdoor Play

Go outside with a clipboard and have the children sit quietly and listen for a moment.  What sounds did they hear?  Write their responses down and use it to talk about later at lunch. (Cars, birds, insects, the wind, voices)?

Science/Scientific Skills & Methods; begins to use senses and variety of tools and simple measuring devices to gather information, investigate materials, and observe processes and relationships.  Initiative & Curiosity; grows in eagerness to learn about and discuss a growing range of topics, ideas, and tasks.

Transitions

Ask each child to name either a loud sound or a very quiet sound. (This can be difficult for some children but I have had wonderful answers such as a “cat’s purr” and “that thing that broke up my driveway”).

Approaches to Learning/Reasoning & Problem Solving; develops increasing ability to find more than one solution to a question, tqask, or problem.

Resources

Steve Spangler makes a very cool water whistle that you might like to try with older children.