👀 The Department of Sensations – Exploring the World Around Us 👂👃👅🤲

The other day, we discovered how the Department of Defense 🛡️ protects Body Nation from invaders, how the Department of Nutrition 🍎 delivers fuel to every cell, and how the Department of Respiration 🌬️ brings fresh oxygen through the Great River. And the Department of Transporation which is like a web of roads stretching from your head to your toes. Today, I have another story about a department that works directly with the President , can you guess it?

Take a moment to look around. What do you see? Now, stay silent and listen carefully—what sounds can you hear? Smell the air—do you notice any specific scents? Feel the surface of the table in front of you. And have a bite of what I brought in this bowl—what flavors do you taste? (Bring any small bites, like pieces of fruit or crackers, enough for everyone to try.)

These senses are how our body explores and experiences the world around us, thanks to the Department of Sensations! This department is made up of five detectives: the eyes 👀, ears 👂, nose 👃, tongue 👅, and hands 🤲. Each of them gathers different messages from the outside world and shares them with the President —the brain 🧠. Let’s discover how each detective gathers clues to help our body understand, enjoy, and stay safe! 🌍✨

First up are the eyes 👀, the light detectives 👀, always on the lookout for colors, shapes, and movements around. Some of you have blue light detectives, others green, and others brown, but they all have the same important job.Every time we look around, your eyes collect light, colors, and shapes from our surroundings. Each eye is filled with millions of tiny helpers called photoreceptors 👏 pho-to-re-cep-tors 👏 that catch the light and turn it into messages sent to the brain. Photoreceptor comes from the Greek photo-meaning "light" and receptor, meaning "receiver." Without these "light receivers", we would miss out on all the colors, faces, shapes and movements around it.

Next, we have the ears 👂, our twin sound detectors. They listen carefully, picking up everything from a soft whisper to the honk of a car horn. Inside each ear are special tools called hair cells—tiny, hair-like structures that catch sound vibrations in the air. But how? Imagine these vibrations as invisible waves that flow through the ear! The hair cells catches the waves and decode them into messages that travel straight to the brain—the President of Body Nation 🧠. Thanks to this two detectors, you can hear my story today , you can listen music and you can even the soft rustling of leaves on a windy day.

Then there’s the nose 👃, the smell expert! The nose is full of tiny sensors called olfactory receptors 👏 ol-fac-to-ry 👏 re-cep-tors 👏 that catch all smells traveling in the air. Olfactory comes from the Latin olfact- meaning “smell.” Imagine the delicious aroma of fresh cookies 🍪 or the scent of orange juice 🌸! These smell messages are sent to the President again - our brain, helping Body Nation recognize good scents, like food, and detect dangers, like smoke coming from something burning.

Now, let’s visit the mouth—inside is the flavor detector—your tongue 👅! It’s covered in taste buds, tiny sensors that recognize sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and savory flavors. From juicy strawberries 🍓 to crunchy popcorn 🍿, the taste buds send signals to guess who? The President—our brain—letting him experience the joy of eating. M-mmm! This clever detective works closely with the Smell Expert—the nose 👃—to boost each flavor, turning every bite into a tasty adventure.

Finally, we have the hands 🤲, the touch detectives 🤲, the experts of touching. The skin, especially on our fingertips, is covered in tiny touch receptors that detect textures, temperatures, and even pressure. Imagine feeling the softness of a kitten’s fur 🐱 or the squishy gummy bear. These clever Touch Detectives send day and night signals to you know who - the President - our brain, helping him understand the world through touch.

Now, imagine what other secrets each of these detectives might be hiding! 🔍 I wonder if the Flavor Detector is really divided into areas for tasting different flavors, or does every part taste all flavors? 👅🍭🍬🍋🧂

Questions to Wonder Aloud :

• How do the eyes know what colors to see? 🎨👀 Do all eyes see colors the same way?

• If you close your eyes, can you guess an object just by touching it? 🤲🔍 What clues do your hands give to your brain?

• How do the eyes, ears, and nose work together to help you feel safe when crossing the street? 🚗👀👂

• What would it be like if one of our explorers, like taste or smell, didn’t work? How would that change our experience of the world? 🌍✨

Possible Follow-up Projects:

1. Exploring Animal adaptations 🐍🦅🐋Linking to: Language and Zoology
How: Children can explore how various animals have adapted their senses differently than humans. They can create a lap book comparing sensory adaptations across species - How do animals see? Night masters - animals which see in the dark!

Why: This project shows the diversity of life and how each species has evolved sensory adaptations that suit its habitat, helping children appreciate adaptation and survival mechanisms.

2. Designing Sensory Stations 🔊🍎🔍 Geography - Environment Exploration, Community building
How: Set up sensory stations around the classroom, each focusing on a different sense.

• Sight Station: A magnifying glass and various objects for close examination.

• Sound Station: Small instruments like bells, shakers, and tuning forks.

• Smell Station: Jars with scented items like herbs, spices, or citrus peel.

• Touch Station: Different textures (feathers, sandpaper, soft fabric).

• Taste Station: Small bites of foods representing different flavors (e.g., sweet, salty, sour).

Why: By exploring the senses in isolation, children learn to focus on the unique information each sense provides, encouraging observation and curiosity about the environment.

3. Discovering Sensory Limits 👂🔉🎨Math - Data Collection and Measurement,Community building
How: Children can conduct simple experiments to measure sensory limits, such as:

• Hearing Test: Using tones of various pitches, note the highest pitch each child can hear.

• Sight Test: Test how far children can read different font sizes to determine visual acuity.

• Taste Test: Blindfolded taste test with nose pinched to see if children can distinguish between salty, sweet, and sour flavors.Children can record their findings in a data table and compare results among classmates.

Why: Making children aware of variability in human senses.

With Montessori joy,

Vanina 😊