In the Classroom: The Bumblebees

For the past month the Bumblebees have been exploring the five senses: seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and touching. All of these senses help children get to know and understand the world around them.

 

For the sense of sight, we added bright water colors inside of a squeeze bottle and placed a large sheet of drawing paper inside the sensory table. The toddlers squeezed the colors onto the paper and watched as it mixed to make another color.

 

For the sense of sound, we used metal and plastic bowls, spoons, and laid out tree branches for the Bees. They banged on the pots with the spoons and sticks and even with their hands. We listened to the sounds that the different bowls made as they struck different things.

 

For the sense of smell, we mixed lavender, lemon, and peppermint oils with things such as flour, water, and playdough. The aroma immediately attracted the toddlers as they walked into the classroom. They wanted to know where the wonderful smells were coming from. Daniel, one of our older toddlers, could not help smelling his hands after playing in the lavender scented playdough.

 

For the sense of taste, we tasted lemons with their zesty and tangy flavor. Most of the toddlers, who were brave enough to taste them, immediately regretted doing so. Their faces scrunched up, eyes closed, and lips tightly sealed. Surprisingly, Elena enjoyed the taste of the lemon and asked for more!

 

For the sense of touch, we manipulated mud with shovels, spoons, sorting cups and spatulas. We explored the mud’s texture and discussed how it feels in our hands. We used words like squishy, wet, and sloshy. Sasha described the mud as being “yucky.” She did not like the feeling of the mud on her hands and decided to use the spatula instead.

 

The Bumblebees are having a great experience exploring their senses. As we continue our exploration, we want to encourage others to do the same. Go taste a new dish, smell some new flowers, touch something gooey, glare at the sunset, or just relax and listen to some music. Whatever you decide to do, just remember to have fun!