Today is rung 9 of 12 on this topic
The five senses and describing words
Can do: Names the sense they are using and offers a word for what they notice.
Why it matters
Observation is science's ground floor, and it doubles as vocabulary work — rough, sour, faint, sticky are all words a three-year-old can own.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Everything is "good" or "yucky" with no describing word behind it.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Hand them something textured. "What does it feel like? What are you using to find out?"
Solid looks like: One describing word beyond nice/yucky, and "my hands" or "touching".
The full activity for this topic · 10 minutes
Mystery Bag
- 1Hide four objects — a sponge, a spoon, a pinecone, an orange.
- 2They reach in without looking and describe before guessing: "It's bumpy and cold."
- 3Feed them the word when they're stuck: "That's rough. Say rough."
- 4Guess, then pull it out to check.
- 5Do a smell round with the fridge open, and a sound round with your eyes closed.
If it's too hard
Two objects that feel completely different — a rock and a feather.
If it's too easy
They describe an object for you to guess. Producing the description is much harder than recognising it.
Say this
"Don't tell me what it is yet — tell me what it feels like."