CAN YOU MAKE SENSE OF THIS MYSTERY!

                 What is in the bag, Beau?

That is my cat, Beau, using his senses to try and predict what is in the mystery bag.

Challenge your Ss to do the same using their less used senses: hearing, smell, and touch. 

First, make up mystery bags. Lunch sized bags are fine. Use a marker to number each bag: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. Make numbers big and in the middle of one flat side of the bag. Use scissors to poke a small hole next to the number on each bag

Put a handfull of one of these Mystery Items in the first  bag, fold the top over and staple shut. Repeat till  each item is sealed in its own bag. 

Mystery Items:

pennies

unwrapped peppermint candies

cotton balls

popcorn

M&M candies

Next, divide Ss into 5 small groups.  Tell everyone what 5 items are in the Mystery Bags. Give each group a bag. Challenge Ss to use their senses one at a time to collect information about what's in the bag. After each observation, challenge them to use their past experiences and these observations to try and identify the mystery object inside their bag.

Have Ss use their sense of hearing first.  Have them shake the bag and listen. 

Next, have Ss gently poke and squeeze the bag. What do they observe using touch? Does that make them want to change their earlier prediction about what's inside the bag? If so, what do they now think the mystery item might be?

Challenge Ss to use their sense of smell this time and repeat the process.  They'll need to make observations, consider what they may have smelled in the past that had that scent, and decide if they want to change their prediction.

Have each group write down the bag number and which item they believe is in that mystery bag. 

Now, have groups switch bags and repeat the observation tests. 

Once every group has examined all 5 bags, allow Ss to open the bags and see what is inside.

Were they right? Which sense helped most?

AND how did past experiences and knowledge about the mystery objects help!?

Beau guessed right! His mystery bag held Kitty Treats.  Now, he's enjoying a book and a nap.

CLICK HERE and I'll read one of my books.