Valuing our Senses: Taste, Touch, Smell

An assembly from the Culham St Gabriel archive

Suitable for Whole School (Pri)

Aims

To deprive the children of two of their most used senses so they learn the value of all their senses.

Preparation and materials

• Gather some items you might have at a birthday party:
  
  – parcel for game of pass the parcel
  
  – bowl of crisps
  
  – some candles on a cake and matches.

• You will also need blindfolds and headphones for everyone.

Assembly

1. Gather a small group of children to help you.

2. Explain that you are all going to pretend to be at a birthday party. You are also all going to do things you would do if you were at a party.

3. Ask the children to think about their senses. Tell them what they are going to do next is imagine that two of their senses have been taken away, but, nevertheless, they are to work out what is happening at the party.

4. Sit the children in a circle. Give each a blindfold (removing their sense of sight) and headphones (removing their sense of hearing).

5. Carry out three party activities with your helpers.

– Play pass the parcel, passing the wrapped 'gift' between the children, encouraging them physically to pass it on if necessary.

– Eat crisps, passing the bowl under the children’s noses and putting their hands in the bowl.

– Blow out the candles on the cake.

After each activity, see if the children can identify what they did and which sense(s) they used to work it out.

6. Discuss how we use all our senses together to really know and enjoy what is going on. It can be a bit worrying or unnerving to have our senses made unavailable to us, but, even if we do not have one or more of our senses, we can still use the others to find out new things. We could still taste the crisps and feel the paper and tape to open the layers of the parcel. How lucky we are to usually have all five senses available for us to use in our daily lives.

Time for reflection

Prayer

Lord,
I am thinking of my favourite thing to eat and I thank you that I am able to taste things.
I am thinking of the softest thing that I have ever felt and I thank you for my sense of touch.
I am thinking of the sweetest scent I know and I thank you for my sense of smell.
I am thinking of the sounds that make me feel safe and happy and I thank you for my sense of hearing.
I am thinking of the people I love to see and thank you for my sense of sight.
Thank you for my wonderful body and my five senses that let me enjoy the world around me.
Amen. 

Follow-up activity

1. Gather examples of things we like to taste, touch and smell and be thankful for them.

2. Read the passage John 12.1–8, in which Mary puts beautifully scented oil on Jesus' feet.

3. Try to think of times when you use all – or several – of your senses together.