Day Six! (Of the Summer with Supermom Series! Check back each weekday this summer for FUN things you can do at home with your kids to cure summer boredom!)

Activity: Sensory Exploration with Jigglers!

Suitable For: 2-10
Skills: Observation, descriptive language, introduction to writing, imagery, exploration, critical thinking
How To: Make a batch of Jell-O Jigglers! (*also known as finger Jell-O!)  You can find the recipe on most boxes, or you can click HERE! Print off a copy of  Chasing Supermom’s Sensory Organizer . When the Jigglers are set and ready to go, walk your children through the sensory organizer, and encourage them to describe to you what they can see, touch, hear, smell, taste, and how they feel about it. (People usually refer to the five senses, but I like to include the emotional facet as well, as sometimes our emotions are more powerful than even our basic physical senses. It is also great for those kids who have the intrapersonal intelligence to have opportunities to connect to their feelings!) (*If you’d like more info on kids and multiple intelligences, I’d LOVE to come and talk to your group!) While this sensory organizer works really well with a lot of different experiences, I really like to use it with Jell-O, as kids truly can use ALL of their senses with this fun food.

As your children describe what they see, hear, etc. record their responses on the Sensory Organizer (or have them do it if they are old enough to write!) Encourage them to use descriptive language, modeling for them if necessary.

 

Extensions: Using the lines provided on the Sensory Organizer, have your child write (or dictate to you) about the experience. What did they enjoy? What sense was the most fun to use? Which was the most difficult? Try the sensory organizer with something different! I used to use this ALL the time in my kindergarten classroom, and have enjoyed doing this with my kids too. You can modify it a bit and not use one of the senses if necessary (if playing with playdough, or building a sand castle for example).

Examples: Here are a few of the responses my children had for me when we did this today.Accept the answers your children give you! Kids often have the best way of describing things (and come up with pretty amazing metaphors and similes!) Let their imaginations and creative minds flow on this one!

Hear: Bubbles, Whisking (when we made the Jell-O), slurping

Smell: Cherries, fruity

Touch: wiggly, jiggly, smooth, slippery, bouncy, “like a trampoline”

Have fun! I think you will LOVE this activity that can be applied to SO many things!!