Senses sessions at Hillier Gardens - Foundation stage

Foundation stage

Let your senses guide you! What can you see, hear, smell and touch around you?

A day’s programme does not necessarily include all the listed activities and can be adapted to suit individual needs and requirements. Normally we fit in three to five activities during your visit.

Activities
Activities Learning objective: the children should learn...
Colour palettes to look carefully at the variety of colours found on different parts of plants
Colour filters to see the Gardens from different coloured viewpoints
Un-nature trail about camouflage whilst hunting for hidden objects in the natural environment. What belongs here, and what doesn't?
Mirrors to verbalise what they can see reflected and distorted in the mirrors
Shape cards that there are a variety of shapes to be found in the natural environment
Colour sticky strips about the range of different coloured and textured materials found in the Gardens by collecting items to create an individual coloured strip to take home
Listening game identify different sounds and the direction they are coming from
Smelly sticky strips about the range of different smells found in the Gardens by collecting items to create an individual smelly strip to take home
Giant Caterpillar trail to explore the environment through touch as a giant caterpillar Note, this is a blindfold game of trust and is done in adult led small groups
Touch eggs to appreciate the different textures and patterns found in nature
Texture cards that there are a variety of textures to be found in the natural environment
You've been framed work collaboratively to produce a piece of art work on the ground using found natural materials
Session times
  • Pre-school 10am to 12pm
    You are welcome to stay for lunch
  • Reception 10am to 2.30pm
    with a break for a picnic lunch at 12pm in or near the Education Centre
Suggested pre-visit activities

Discuss the five senses.

Suggested post-visit activities
  • Using natural material collected from the visit create a textual collage
  • Create a listening map of the different sounds heard in different parts of the school
  • Taste and identify a range of different foods
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