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Nature Walk

An outdoor walk will have children using all five of their senses to observe the world around them.

Lesson Plan

Supplies Needed

Gather all the supplies needed to bring your craft ideas to life! From paints and markers to glue and scissors, our crafts section has everything to spark creativity and make every project truly special.

  • Paper
  • White Paper

Steps

  • Step 1

    Ask children to name the five senses: touch, sight, hearing, smell, and taste. Explain that these senses gather information that is interpreted by our brains, and this information helps us understand the world around us.

  • Step 2

    Take the class on a walk outside on a nice day. Ask them to walk in silence and focus on sensory stimuli. What do they see around them? What do they feel? Is the wind blowing? Does the air feel cool or warm on their faces? What do they hear? Do they notice the aroma of flowers or the smell of gasoline near a car? If there are ripe apples or other edible items available from the garden or orchard, perhaps they could take a bite and describe the flavor.

  • Step 3

    When you return to the classroom, ask children to draw several pictures of themselves enjoying the sensory experience, with one image focusing on the smells, another on the sights, another on the sounds, etc.

  • Step 4

    When each child has completed their pictures, ask students to describe the images and discuss how keeping silent during the walk helped them focus on their senses and the world around them.

Standards

SCI: Use observations to describe patterns of what plants and animals (including humans) need to survive.

SCI: Ask questions based on observations to find more information about the natural and/or designed world(s).

Adaptations

Challenge the students to go on a five senses scavenger hunt using a prepared checklist. For sight you might say, "Find something red," "Find something smaller than your hand," etc. For sound you might ask them to "Listen for an animal sound," etc. For taste you might say, "Find something a bird would eat," etc.

Provide a simple sensory cooking activity that uses all five senses. For example, the class could make a bag of microwave popcorn. Have them listen as the kernels pop, smell the aroma, feel the warmth of the bag when it's slightly hot, then taste it and feel the texture of the popped corn as they crunch on this snack. After you return to your room, have students describe the sensory experiences.