Smelly games and lots of liquids make this lesson on Mary one worth spending a bit of time on. There are not many lessons that allow us to use so many different sensory textures so do take advantage of the opportunity.
Smell bags – I love this game, it sounds like a lot of work but really it’s very simple. You need some kind of container, a cloth bag works the best but cardboard boxes with salt shaker holes are just as easy. You then need to find some familiar smells, shampoo’s, perfumes, soap, chopped vegetables, spices, cleaning products, candles, fruit, flavoured crisps, you’ll be amazed at home many you can find even in a sparsely equipped homestead. Either place ‘the smell’ inside the container or onto a tissue inside the container and get the kids to identify the it.
Bucket logic – this is a simple logic problem great for older kids and repeated on the worksheet. You need a large container of water and two different size containers – but not measuring jugs. You also need either scales or a measuring rod to determine the correct amount. Read the worksheet for more details. Don’t worry about being too exact with the measurements just add the capacity of the two containers together and divide by 2.
Wet footprints – this is a lovely game for young children if you have a paved or concrete area that is safe to move about in. Removing socks and shoes play ‘follow the leader’ trying to stand in the same footprints. Lay out a very wet towel or doormat for the children to walk over, It’s easy to tie this one back into the teaching too.
Ticklish feet – a parachute game for younger children. Sit round the parachute with your knees bent to the sky and your toes facing inwards. A trustworthy child is given a feather and allowed to crawl under the fabric to test who has ticklish feet, knees and such. The automatic reaction is to bend your feet under your body, if everyone does this declare the last person to move the winner.
Deceptive smells – blindfold a volunteer and let them smell what they are about to eat, then (holding their nose) ask them to take a big bite. Talk them through the process,’I’m just cutting it up /spreading some on this bread/ dipping this biscuit into…’ The classic is smelling onion and eating apple, but be as creative as you wish. Jam and shampoo work well, as does cloves and raisins. If you are with older teenagers you can call their bluff and not swap the products!
Water run – this is defiantly a game only suitable if you can get the resources and have a space you can potentially get very wet, but it will be memorable. Tell the youngsters the bare bones of the story ie ‘the story is about a woman who pours oil on someone feet’ and then say you would like their help to act out the event. Only problem is that the oil and the feet are too far apart. Reveal a few rolls of sticky tape and a mixture of tubes, these can be made of anything but the less absorbent the better. Challenge the youngsters to wash each other feet from a distance using at least 2 tubes.
