Santa’s Five Senses

Learning Goal: We have five senses to help us learn and play.

• Reading= Santa’s Suit by Kate Lee, I Smell Christmas by Mercer Mayer and Santa Claus: The World’s Number One Toy Expert by Marla Frazee. Number of the day= 5
  
• Science= Set up stations representing the five senses in different rooms of the house (see ideas below). Introduce the senses as you make dice having pictures of a nose, ear, hand, eye, tongue and a heart (to represent intangibles like love and generosity). Roll die to determine which station you go to first and so on. When you roll a heart, hug someone you love and wish them a merry Christmas.
  
• Art= Decorate your own wrapping paper. Put paper in the bottom of a box. Add textured balls dipped in paint. Tilt the box to roll the balls across the paper and make a pattern. Or, cut out a gingerbread man from sandpaper. Dress him up like Santa Claus using a variety of textured materials (velvet, felt, cotton, pom-poms, foil, leather or plastic-wrapped black paper). Try rubbing a cinnamon stick over the sandpaper to add scent.
  
• Play= Visit the five senses stations. 1) Hands guess objects hidden in a long sock or stocking. 2) Eyes go on a “reflection” walk (e.g., mirrors, silver spoons, water, a pizza cutter, a bell, ornaments, the stove). 3) Ears play hide-and-seek. The hidden person rings a bell to help seekers locate her. 4) Nose guesses Christmas smells while blindfolded. 5) Tongue tastes ingredients as you bake Christmas fudge (e.g. salt, sugar, lemon juice, unsweetened chocolate).