Delving into the five senses during the fall season with children can be both fun and educational. Introducing one sense at a time, gives your students the opportunity to really use that particular sense whether it be the sense of seeing, hearing, tasting, touching or smelling. There are many imaginative and interactive activities to fully embrace and enjoy this vibrant time of year. Included is a checklist to use as you tangibly enjoy the season of FALL with your students. Included in this post will be many tips for engaging your students in exploring their five senses.
5 Senses Videos
I always start our time of learning by watching some engaging videos. I have included some of my favorites for you. I have included two videos that give an overview of all 5 senses (Kiboomers and Pete the Cat). Jack Hartman sings 5 songs related to each individual sense. I play those at the beginning of the lesson as we learn about that particular sense.
The Sense of Sight
Take a relaxing walk through the school field or around the neighborhood and enjoy the stunning autumn colors. Encourage your students to identify various colors, shapes, and sizes of leaves. Can they see the trees loosing its leaves? Can they see the birds migrating and flying in a V shape in the sky? Can they see the leaves and grass changing colors?
When the leaves are green, they are actively providing nourishment to the tree. This is called photosynthesis. However, as Fall arrives, the leaves start to change color and eventually die. The energy and nutrients that were once in the green leaves are now stored in the branches and trunk, helping to sustain the tree through the winter. Essentially, this stored energy is what keeps the tree alive as it enters its dormant phase during the cold months.
Birds fly in a V formation to conserve energy. Each bird positions itself slightly above the one in front, which minimizes wind resistance. They rotate the lead position, allowing those in front to fall back when they tire. This strategy enables geese to fly for extended periods before needing to rest.
The Sense of Touch
Gather a variety of fall items such as leaves, pinecones, acorns, and bark. Set up a touch-and-feel station where children can explore the unique textures. Prompt them to describe how each item feels — whether it’s rough, smooth, bumpy, or something else.
Getting outdoors is good for you. Your child or students will take on the role of Fall Collage Collector. Their job is to hunt for Fall items. After they have collected all of their things, they can make a collage with it. This activity is a gateway to exploration, learning, and unforgettable memories. As they pick up the items, they will be using their sense of touch to feel the items.
Have your students feel a leaf and its veins. Explain to your students that the veins of a leaf transport water, minerals, and food throughout the leaf and tree. Have them look at their own veins. Blood flows around the body through their veins.
Have your students touch the tree trunk, reiterating what you taught them before about the energy and food being stored in the tree trunk and its branches. We know that weather changes in the Fall. If it’s a cool day have them take off their coats and feel the crisp air of Fall. Brrrrrr!
The Sense of Hearing
The sound of rustling leaves and the gentle landing will captivate their sense of hearing. Have them walk on the leaves. Can they hear the crunch as they walk on top of them. Have them listen to the wind swirl the leaves. Can they hear the busy birds flying about migrating to the South? What else do they hear? Rake together a pile of fallen leaves and let your students (one at a time) leap in it. What sounds do they hear? Laughter, giggles, screeches, leaves. So many wonderful sounds to hear during the season of Fall.
The Sense of Smell
With the season of Fall comes many wonderful smells. Cinnamon and spices, fresh cool air, baked apple pies or wet leaves. The season of Fall is often associated with memories of many favorites smells.
Make some scented playdough with autumn spices to be used at your playdough center. Utilize fragrant fall spices such as cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves. Allow children to knead and explore the dough, enhancing their sense of smell. Absolutely delightful!
IMPORTANT: Before using certain scents with children, be sure to check for specific allergies.
Possible Fall scents to include: crushed leaves, chai tea mix, pumpkin, apple cider vinegar, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, cloves, coffee grounds, peppermint tea, piece of apple, black pepper, cocoa, or cotton ball soaked in vanilla.
Materials needed: Small cups and a variety of items with different scents and fragrances.
Fill each cup with small amounts of the items you are using that emit a unique scent. I prefer these cups from Amazon but the Dollar store would have the same item.
Next, let each child take a turn smelling the tops of the cups.
After your students have smelled all of the cups as a class, see if your students can guess what the smell was. Were they right? On your whiteboard make a tally on who liked the smell and who did not.
This activity offers a fantastic chance to discuss the similarities and differences in scent preferences. Did everyone enjoy the same scents? Which scent was the least favorite? Why?
The Sense of Taste
Everyone loves yummy treats. As soon as Fall arrives, my children are asking to go to Starbucks and have a delicious Fall favorite like vanilla cinnamon latte, harvest apple cider, or a cold pumpkin spiced latte. Our tastebuds go wild during the season of Fall. And we haven’t even talked about Halloween and how our tastebuds can go into hyperdrive. Fall reminds me of apples and picking apples off of my mother’s apple tree. I love to bring in these apples for the kids to try. I usually share these during our Fall Sharing Circle.
Apple Tasting Adventure!
Bring in a red, yellow, and green apple. Have a taste testing session. Discuss the taste, texture, and sweetness levels. Have the children ask 5 friends which apple they preferred. The benefits of your students asking their peers is that it builds their confidence, clarity or speech, volume of speech, and professionalism. A great way for this to happen is for you to model and demonstrate how it should look as you interview your students. Be as dramatic and creative as possible! Remember your students are watching you.
Set aside a classroom apple. Hold it up for each student to examine. They will make a guess on how many apple seeds are in this apple. If their guess is wrong, does that matter? Was it a crazy guess? 100 seeds! Take the time to teach the concepts of estimation and what a good estimate it. And reiterate to your students that it does not matter if their guess is wrong. Encourage your students with the phrases, “how close were you”, “did you guess it”, “you said the right number”, and “were you too high or too low”.
Whatever color apple your students chose is up to them but what can we learn from apples. Even though they can be different colors, does that change the fact that they are apples. Below you will find a story I love to share with my students. Apples can teach us a lot.
Have the children try a cinnamon stick or pumpkin flavored treat (scone, seeds, muffin). So many wonderful things to eat during the season of Fall.
