Summer
Activity:
Popcorn Science for All Five Senses!
Have you ever noticed that whenever you pop a bag of popcorn in the microwave, somehow the entire family knows and shows up to share the tasty treat? That's because it's a "multisensory" snack, or a snack that incorporates all five senses. This activity is an appetizing way to teach your kindergartener what the five senses are all about! Just pop a bag of popcorn and she's ready to learn.
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What You Need:
- Hot air popcorn popper or microwave
- Popcorn
- Blank paper
- Pencil
- Crayons or markers
- Old magazines
- Scissors
- Glue
What You Do:
- Encourage your child to describe how she uses each body part to learn about things. For example, eyes are for seeing and observing, ears are for listening, a nose is for smelling, etc.
- Invite your child to flip through old magazines in search of pictures of a nose, eyes, a mouth, ears, and hands. Help your kindergartener cut them out and glue each item onto a separate sheet of paper.
- Stick the popcorn in the microwave and hand your child the recording sheets to record what she sees, hears, and smells as the popcorn pops. Then when the popcorn is finished cooking (and has cooled down a bit) invite her to record how the popcorn feels and tastes!
- On each sheet, she will describe one of the five senses. For example, on the paper with the nose on it she'll describe what she smells, on the paper with the ears she'll describe what she hears, etc. She can draw pictures, dictate her observations to you, or record her own if she's started writing.
- Then enjoy your tasty snack! Talk about her observations, and be sure to ask questions like, "If the popcorn smelled like garbage, would you still want to eat it?" and "If the popcorn felt slimy, would you still want to touch it?"
- Try to think of other foods you could use in addition to popcorn, like Rice Crispies. It's a delicious way to teach your child how all 5 senses are important!
