Before you can begin activities in which students experience their senses, you need to explain what the five senses are. Tell your class you are going to talk about the five senses. Ask them what people do with eyes. Once someone comes up with the concept of seeing, ask students to name things that people see, or ways that eyes are useful. Do this for all the body parts that engage the senses: ears, nose, tongue and hands.
Help students become aware of the five senses by setting up five stations around the room. Each should be focused on a different sense. Make a sight station with a few objects on it, where students must draw the objects they see. Make a sound station made up of small boxes, each containing objects such as rice or paper clips. Students must shake them and listen. Have a taste station where students can sample sliced fruit, and a smell station where students can smell envelopes containing spices such as cinnamon and coffee beans. Make a feeling station where students can play with sudsy water and plastic objects. Give students 10 minutes at each station before rotating.
Once students have practiced experiencing each sense by itself, they should be better at describing objects in terms of senses. Assemble the class into a circle on the floor. Put an object in the middle, such as an apple. Ask students to name which senses they need to enjoy it. Have them describe the experience of tasting or smelling the apple as they imagine it. Do this for a number of different objects.
Walking outside is an effective way to focus students on their senses. Take your class for a walk around the school yard. Tell them in advance to focus on their five senses. When you return, have students draw a picture representing the senses they experienced on the walk. Help students write a caption underneath their drawing that explains the sights, sounds, smells, tastes and physical sensations they experienced.