Kindergarten Discovery Lab

Fun with Senses! Station Set-Up & Materials Needed

Items for the intro

Music in the CD player

Matches

Candle—not too strong so it doesn’t overpower Station #2’s activity

Words on the board: Senses, eyes, ears, nose, tongue, skin

STATION #1 – Seeing with our Eyes

Activity 1:

Poster of the eye

Pin the Tail on the Donkey game

Tape for tails

Activity 2:

Small cups that don’t easily tip over or break (10)

Pennies (20)

Paper and Pencil for leader to tally results

Activity 3:

A few 8” x 11” pictures of simple items that are only 1 color

Activity 4:

Same or similar pictures from activity #1.

Have some close up pictures of animals heads that show their eyes—especially a rabbit. Perhaps a bird, horse, flounder fish

STATION #2– Smelling and Tasting

Activity 1:

Posters of a nose

Can of Air Freshener with scent kids would recognize if possible (1-2 for the week of labs)

Timer

Activity 2:

Poster of the Tongue and with the location of taste bud groups (tongue map)

Foods with different flavors such as lemon, orange, banana.

Pictures of sweet, bitter, sour, and salty foods

Activity 3:

3 different flavors of Skittles for each student

Recommend basic flavors like cherry, grape, and orange

Napkins

STATION #3- Hearing and Touching

Activity 1:

Poster of an ear

Poster board to make a barrier so the students can’t hear what you are dropping.(check the “Sound Box Kit” it is grey andwhite and we may have this already.

Items to drop behind barrier: Drop a rock, ball, foil, feather, cotton ball, pencil, nail etc.

Pictures of different animals and their ears—recommend picture of a rabbit, horse, human.

Activity 2:

Poster of skin.

Ice cubes in a cup.

Various items for students to feel with their hands like: cotton balls, block of wood, metal spoon, and an ice cube.

Activity 3:

Box with several items for the students to touch with their eyes closed- first with their elbows then with their hands.

Items like: a small stuffed animal, plastic animals, toy train…

They can open their eyes. Explain that your face, fingers, and soles of your feet have the most touch sensors—many more than your elbow has. Plus, your fingers can wrap around the item and feel its shape, unlike your elbow.

STATION #4– Using All our Senses!

Activity #1: Sort by Color

Poster listing all the senses.

Basket

Numerous small items including several mostly red items.

Activity #2: Sort by Texture

Name numerous small items including several soft items like small stuffed animals, cotton balls…

Activity #3: Sort by Smell

Same numerous small items including some that smell good—wrapped candy, car air freshener, stuffed animal sprayed with perfume.

Activity #4: Sort by Shape

Same numerous items including some that are round—like balls.

Activity #5: Sort by Sound

Drop some items to find quiet items.