The Five Senses: Eyes(Sight), Ears(Hearing), Nose(Smell), Mouth(Taste), & Touch!

The five senses of humans include sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. Furthermore, each of the five senses has its own purpose. All of the senses give people the ability to recognize things in the environment around them. The senses can also help to keep a person safe from harm. The following looks at the purpose of each of the five senses and how each sense works along with the brain.

Sight

Eyes give a person the ability to see. People’s eyes can be blue, green, brown or different shades of each. The human eye is made up of a lot of nerves and other important parts. Some of the main parts of the eye include the retina, the pupil and the lens. All of these parts work together to help form a picture. A message travels from the eyes to the brain so that the person knows what he or she is looking at. When people need help with their vision they may wear glasses or contact lenses. 

• All about the Sense of Sight
• Learning about the Sense of Sight
• A Sight Game
• Discover Facts on the Sense of Sight and More!
• Study the Parts of the Eye
• A Five Senses Web Quest

Hearing

A person’s ears allow him or her to hear sounds. Like the eyes, the ears are made up of many parts that all have a purpose. The eardrum, the cochlea, and the Eustachian tube are just a few of the parts inside a person’s ear. When a person hears a sound there is a message sent to the brain. A person’s brain is able to determine the source of the sound.

• A Craft that Helps Kids Understand the Sense of Hearing
• An Explanation of the Sense of Hearing
• Read about the Sense of Hearing
• A Fun Web Quest on Hearing and the Other Four Senses
• Learning about Hearing and the Other Senses with a Web Quest
• An Activity on the Five Senses

Smell

The main job of the nose is to smell things. Some smells are good and others are bad. There is certainly a difference between walking into a perfume store and walking past a dumpster full of trash! When a smell or aroma enters a person’s nose it meets up with nerves inside the nose. Those nerves send a message to the brain so the brain can determine what the smell is.

• An Art Project about the Sense of Smell
• A Senses Web Quest
• Questions and Answers about the Sense of Smell
• Learning about the Senses with a Web Quest
• A Web Quest that Explains the Sense of Smell and the Other Senses
• Facts about the Sense of Smell

Taste

A person’s tongue gives them a sense of taste. The different areas on a person’s tongue are responsible for detecting different types of tastes. For instance, one area on a person’s tongue can tell if a food is sour while another area can tell if a food is salty. The taste buds on the tongue also play a part in a person’s sense of taste.

• Learning about the Tongue
• A Fun Web Quest about Animals and Their Sense of Taste and More
• Sense Descriptive Word Activity
• A Taste Exercise
• Printables on the Five Senses
• Questions to Think about Concerning Taste and the Other Senses

Touch

A person’s hands and fingers give a person their sense of touch. The skin (or epidermis) contains nerve endings that send messages to the brain about what the person is touching. The sense of touch can help a person to stay safe. For instance, when a person touches a hot stove the nerve endings in the skin send a message to the brain that the stove is hot. The brain immediately sends a message that makes the person move their hand away from the hot stove. All of this occurs in less than a second!

• All about the Sense of Touch
• Activities to Help Kids Learn about the Sense of Touch and Other Senses
• Activity on the Sense of Touch
• Book Suggestions on Touch and the Other Four Senses
• An Activity on Touch and Different Textures
• Materials that Teach Kids about the Sense of Touch and the Other Senses