Science Projects for First Grade: Using the Five Senses to Investigate a Sunflower

You will need the following items to complete this science experiment:

1. Sunflower
2. Sunflower seeds
3. Notebook
4. Pencil
5. The Five Senses

Follow the directions below to complete this experiment:

1. Teach your students that an important part of science is using the five senses that God gave us. These senses aid us in an important part of an experiment, observation.
2. Review the five senses, which are taste, touch, smell, hear, and see. Have the students give examples of each. Ask the students which body part uses each sense. When completed with the question and answers, have the students repeat the five senses for review.
3. Have each student take out their science notebook and label a page "The Sunflower". Sunflowers are larger sized plants that are perfect for observing with the five senses. When students are finished with the experiment they will have a better appreciation of the sunflower as well as their five senses.
4. Take the students to a location that has sunflowers. If you have to, make it into a science field trip.
5. Have the students write, Touch on their sunflower page. Then have the students touch the sunflower and record what they felt in their notebooks. Make sure they list the different parts of the sunflower and how they feel. The middle will feel different than the petals.
6. Have the students write, See on their sunflower page. Then have the students look at the sunflower closely and record in their notebooks what they see. Make sure they list the colors and shapes that they observe on the different parts of the sunflower. Have them use a magnifying glass, if available.
7. Have the students write, Hear on their sunflower page. Then have the students listen to see if they hear anything. They may hear a bee buzzing to land on the sunflower or they may hear the sunflower blow in the wind. Have them record what they hear in their notebooks.
8. Have the students write, Smell on their sunflower page. Then have the students smell to see if they notice any odors. Chances are they will. Try to have them describe the smell in their notebooks.
9. Have the students write, Taste on their sunflower page. Hand out some sunflower seeds (make sure no children are allergic) and have the students taste them. They should write about their tasting experience from the seeds that came from a sunflower in their notebooks.
10. Back in the classroom, review what each of the children experienced. Ask if the children were surprised by anything in the experiment and have them share what they liked best.