A Hands-On Science Adventure: Pre-K Explores the Five Senses

Pre-K scientists have been exploring the five senses through hands-on sensory activities that spark their natural curiosity and build basic scientific skills. Throughout this science unit, students conducted investigations that naturally integrated early literacy, math, and social studies skills.

Real-world investigations formed the cornerstone of their learning as they explored taste, smell, touch, sight, and hearing. All students practiced scientific classification by sampling and documenting sweet, sour, bitter, and salty flavors. During nature walks on campus, they engaged in careful observation of their surroundings, noting what they felt, heard, saw, and smelled in their environment.

Additionally, students participated in various multi-sensory investigations. They brought science to the everyday act of popping popcorn, observing transformations through multiple senses. They also conducted "mystery bag" explorations, forming hypotheses about objects hidden from view using their sense of touch—an early introduction to evidence-based deduction.

To develop body awareness, students used their senses to guide them through movement activities such as jumping rope and following exercise movements. They worked with air-dry clay to create new objects, using sight and touch to observe transformations as the soft, malleable material hardened into final pieces. Students also mixed primary colors to create secondary hues, witnessing cause-and-effect relationships firsthand.

The unit culminated with an all-grade morning meeting where both classes played hot potato. Students used their senses of sight, touch, and sound to toss a ball until the music stopped. These age-appropriate scientific investigations allowed our Pre-K students to develop observation skills, practice data collection, and think critically while fostering a love of scientific inquiry that will serve as the foundation for future learning.