Autumn has arrived! Celebrate the season with an activity that introduces the five senses to little ones. In this easy activity for young learners, children will explore a pumpkin using their sense of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. We include a free printable five senses worksheet to make this activity extra doable and fun. Read on to find out more.
Introducing the five senses with a fun, fall-themed activity is a great way to engage young children, especially in kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. However, you can certainly tailor this activity to older grades as well. You will need a medium or large-sized pumpkin, newspaper, carving knife, spoon, and this printable five senses worksheet for the activity.
Set up the pumpkin on a table or counter covered with newspaper. Make sure it’s easy for children to gather around to see what’s going on. Have children wash their hands before the activity begins.
Begin the activity by observing the outside of the pumpkin and describing what you see.
What color is it?
What shape is it?
How would you describe the stem?
What can you say about the size?
Does it have any marks, dents, or other imperfections?
Children will record their observations in the “Sight” section of their five senses chart.
Continue to observe the outside of the pumpkin and describe what you hear.
When you tap on the outside of the pumpkin with your knuckles or a spoon, what do you hear?
Use the carving knife to open up the pumpkin. (Note: An adult should handle the carving knife at all times.) You can either remove the top portion where the stem is or cut down the middle lengthwise to make two halves.
What kind of sound does the carving knife make as you use it to open up the pumpkin?
Children will record their observations in the “Sound” section of their five senses chart.
Once the pumpkin has been opened, observe the inside.
What does it smell like?
Children will record their observations in the “Smell” section of their five senses chart.
If you are doing this activity at home, you can scoop out the seeds and roast them in the oven for a tasty snack.
If you are doing this activity in a classroom, you can skip the roasting step and provide shelled, roasted, and salted pumpkin seeds for children to try.
What do the pumpkin seeds taste like?
Children will record their observations in the “Taste” section of their five senses chart.
Finally, children will explore the inside of the pumpkin using their sense of touch.
Ask students to take turns examining the gooey pumpkin pulp with their hands. Some children will love this part and others won’t – that’s okay! After everyone who wants to has had a chance to touch the pumpkin pulp (and wash up afterwards!) they can answer the following:
What does the pumpkin pulp feel like?
They will record their observations in the “Touch” section of their five senses chart.
Once students have completed their five senses charts, go over the five senses together as a class. Give children the opportunity to share their thoughts about how the pumpkin looks, sounds, smells, tastes, and feels. Ask your students which of the five senses was their favorite to observe.
We hope you and your little ones love exploring a pumpkin with your five senses! If you try this activity with your students, remember to tag us on social media and leave your feedback in the comment section below to let us know how it went!
If you are looking for more fun, engaging five senses activities for your class, check out the Super Teacher Worksheets Five Senses Collection.
For more exciting, educational autumn activities, visit the Super Teacher Worksheets Autumn Collection.
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