See if preschoolers can identify foods without using their sense of sight. Collect a variety of foods that have distinctive tastes and smells, such as salty pretzels and sweet cereal. Preschoolers may have sensitive tastes, so avoid any foods that are very spicy or sour. Blindfold each child, then hand each one a piece of food. Ask the children to first carefully feel and smell each item to guess what it may be, then have them taste it and guess again.
Hang a large piece of poster board divided into three columns labeled "Taste," "Touch" and "Smell." Add a picture of a mouth, hand and nose to the column headings. Cut out small pictures of a range of things we can detect using our senses, such as rain, cookies or flowers. Cut out three copies of each picture. One at a time, hold up each picture and ask students which column is falls under, then tape it into the correct column. If something belongs to more than one category, tape one copy of the picture to each column.
Preschoolers love nothing more than getting messy, so they'll enjoy exploring the feel of this slimy goo. Place two cups of cornstarch into a bowl or tray, then start adding water a quarter cup at a time. Use a spoon or your hands to stir the mix. Continue adding water slowly until the mixture has the consistency of glue, then let children start touching. They'll find that when they poke the top of the mixture it will feel hard, but when they sink their hands in slowly it will feel like liquid.
Even if children can't identify everything they smell, they should be able to match pairs of things that smell the same. Make pairs of sense containers. Soak or spray cotton balls with different scents, such as perfume, lemon juice and cinnamon. Make two balls for each smell. Place each piece of cotton inside a small plastic container or bowl. Cover the containers with a plastic lid or piece of foil, and then pierce a small hole in the top. Spread out all the containers and see if children can pair them up by smelling the cotton through the holes.