Hobbies And Interests
Smell
The human nose is extremely sensitive. This human sense can be explored through a smell matching game. Choose a variety of different items, such as orange peels, vanilla, or garlic. Place a pair of one type of item into two separate containers. Make sure the children cannot see inside the containers and poke a small hole in the lid. Mix up the different containers and let the children smell each one. Ask the children to match the pairs by setting them aside. The children can see if they were correct by opening each container and verifying that they matched it correctly.
Touch
Test the human sense of touch with a paper clip. Bend the clip until it is in a "U" shape. Gently poke the two points on a body part, such as the back of the hand. Ask the person if they feel one or two points. Narrow the spacing between the two points until the person says they feel one point. Children can try this on various body parts to experiment with touch sensitivity. A body part is more sensitive if it can detect two points with a tiny separation between them.
Hearing
Children can experience a hearing game by visiting a park. Ask the children to sit down on a bench and listen to their surroundings. Each child should write down what they hear. Afterward, the children can compare sounds. Each child may have a different sound list because everyone's hearing ability varies.
Sight
Ask the children to draw a dot and a plus sign on a piece of paper. Make sure the dot is on the left, separated from the plus sign by about 6 to 8 inches. The children should cover their right eye and look at the plus sign with their left eye. Each child should slowly move their head closer to the paper, still staring at the plus sign. At some point, the dot on the left will disappear, signifying the blind spot within the eye's retina area. This trick of the eye demonstrates the limitations of human sight while learning about the eye's components.
Taste
The tongue must have saliva to taste. The children should dry their tongue with a paper towel. Place some sugar or salt on each child's tongue. The game demonstrates that the children will feel the item physically on their tongue, but without any taste. This demonstration helps children understand the connection between the saliva and the taste buds on the tongue.