August Fun Day(s): My 5 Senses

YAY! It has finally calmed down enough for us to have our next fun day! I started planning this one for June. Didn’t happen! Then, I had great intentions of doing it in July. Oops! … So, it’s August, and we’re making the time! How I’ve missed it…and I think Q did too! He just loves our fun days and all of the fun activities that we do. Since this was such a BIG topic, I decided to spread it out over the course of a few days. We started with a few introductory cumulative activities. We read My Five Senses by: Aliki and talked about all of our different senses. I would leave out a word and Quinn would fill in the blanks. {For example: I can smell. I smell with my _____.} Then, we had too much fun putting together Mr. Potato Head and talking about his 5 senses. Then, we compared it to ours again! Repetition is key for this little guy! :) … Then, we snuggled up together and watched this little show that I ordered off of Amazon. It was a little odd (a ‘walking’, talking nose is a little weird), but it really helped reinforce all of the senses…and, most importantly, it made Quinn laugh. He loved it!  

*****This was fun and free! Take a egg carton. Paint each spot a different color. Find things around the house to match each color. Then, let your little one match to the colors! Quinn did it at least a dozen times! He loved it!

 

I got lots of my Five Senses ideas from here…including this one. Quinn glued the googly eyes all around the paper, and then we had fun going to the different places and listing what we could see from there! …

After dinner one night, we had too much fun with these “I See You” cookies. We even sang this song that Quinn has been learning in Sunday School…

God Sees Us
(adapted from Job 31:4)
...sung to the tune of “Three Blind Mice”…

God sees us; God sees us.

All the time, rain or shine.

God sees us every night and day.

God sees us when we work or play.

God says he’ll never look away.

God sees us.

 

***** I can remember doing this first activity as a kid and loving it. I actually had some left over 35mm film containers to use. I filled them with smells that Quinn is familiar with. Then, I had him smell each item and guess what it is. He peeked on some, but what can you expect!? He’s TWO! 

1. Peanut Butter: he got it immediately without looking

2. Pickle juice: he called it pickles and totally peeked…but there’s no way that looking could have given it away!

3. Laundry detergent: he called it ‘soap.’ Close enough!

4. Natures Seasoning mix: I thought he’d say “pepper,” but he peeked and said “dirt.” Ha.

5. Vanilla Extract: he called it “chocolate,” but, when we did it a second time, he remembered that the smell was “juh-nella!” Oh how these markers took me back to my childhood. It took me to the balcony of FBC Abilene as I colored in my notebooks. The smells are EXACTLY the same and I was so excited to share their yumminess with Quinn. He was so proud to hang his picture on the “frigerator” with ALL of his magnets!…

*****   Here’s lunch…we talked about this crazy guy’s five senses before he was devoured! :)…

For breakfast one morning, I put out 5 different plastic foods. Then, I’d cover Quinn’s eyes and have him open his mouth as I put a taste of each one inside. He guessed each one PERFECTY! And, he loved using his sense of taste! …His favorite was, of course, the ice cream…

 

…so, it became breakfast! You’re only a kid once, right!? … 

*****Quinn’s favorite listening activity was making MUSIC. We pulled out the instruments and let him go wild. He loved it! :) …  Then, one morning before it got too hot, we went on a Sound Safari. Quinn put on his cool shades, and his “listening ears” and we strolled around the neighborhood. Surprisingly, we found ALL of the times on the list…and I didn’t have to help him at all! I loved how attentive he was to the sounds around him…and how excited he was to put on the sticker when he heard it! …

Another fun listening game we did was at this site.  You can type in any sound effect and listen to it for free. Quinn had fun guessing fire truck, laughing, crying, chewing and more!

*****

I found the touch can (a tube sock cut to go over a can) that we used for ‘bug day’ and put new items inside. He had to “taste” the ice cream cone after he guessed what it was… After our walk, we were hot, and thought that ice painting was the perfect activity. I had put food coloring and water in ice cube trays ahead of time so that it was ready to go. Then, we took the colored ice and poster board in the back yard and cooled down while we created. Sadly, the colors just rolled off of the poster board, but it was fun anyway! It might have been better to use a canvas! …Let me know if you try it and it works! …

Then, it was time to clean off all of that mess…and what better way than shaving cream in the tub! It feels cool AND smells good! :)… Here’s our texture bag! I just cut out pieces of items with different textures…sandpaper, felt, fur, fabric, tulle and foil. Quinn would touch them with his hands and then put them up to his face! …

We ended the 5 Senses Fun Day(s) with a trip to the ZOO!!! (Daddy’s idea) It was so  much fun! And, here’s a little interview I did with Quinn about the senses he used while we were there!!! … Mommy: What did you see at the zoo? (With lots of “what else?” in between each animal!)
Quinn: elephants, deers, penguins, giraffes, piggies, a lot of animals, gorillas

Mommy: Did you smell anything at the zoo?
Quinn: Flowers (pause)…No, my not smell flowers; I smelled poopy!

Mommy: Were you able to touch anything at the zoo?
Quinn: That hole. It was all dirty and I cleaned it and you cleaned it, Mommy! (and, yes I did…he wouldn’t set foot in the little pretend raccoon log until EVERY speck of dirt was cleaned out)
a bunny, he was soft; my touched the grass too; a snake; my touched my pizza

Mommy: The zoo has LOTS of sounds! What did you hear?
Quinn: a monkey swingin’, an elephant? my not hear one!

Mommy: It was so fun that we got to eat lunch at the zoo. What did you taste?
Quinn: pizza, pickles

***

This little theme was SO fun…and I’m sure the list of things that we could have done is never-ending! Overall, I’m so thankful to have spent some quality time with my little guy as I watched him learn! Such a privilege! :)