LESSON STEPS: MULTI-SENSORY LESSONS - STEP 10: sensory snackS
The Multi-Sensory Lessons Begin
Step 10: Sensory Snacks
Using More of Our Senses
Sensory snacks, as we refer to them in the classroom, can be used to highlight each letter sound lesson. First and foremost, we need to adhere to school policies regarding food consumed in the classroom, i.e., food other than commercially prepared items and food allergies of specific students.
Most of us have used our senses when we recall experiences. If you grew up with the smell of fresh bread or cookies baking and fondly remember always asking for a piece as soon as it came out of the oven, you can almost smell and taste it just thinking about it. We can use these gustatory and olfactory senses, taste and smell, to help students remember what they learn in the classroom.
The Sensory Snacks need not be expensive, especially if volunteer parents can assist by sending the snack (with an individual portion for each student) for the day assigned. Many can be made at home with the student’s help. Some can be made at school in the classroom and, if need be, cooked in the school kitchen.
Deciding when to consume the snack may be dictated by your other lesson activities. It could be that you would want to pop popcorn as an introduction to the letter sound “p.” With their eyes closed, students could use all their senses to guess what letter sound they might study. Tell them to raise a hand as soon as they think they know what the surprise is. First they hear the popping, next they begin to smell the popcorn, then they touch a sample placed in outstretched hands, taste a piece and, finally, open their eyes and see the popcorn. (Remember that you can coordinate this with a science lesson about the five senses.)
Other examples of times to introduce the sensory snack:
Use it as a stimulus for a Storybook about to be read, as in “Lil’s Lollipop.”
Make it the topic for the Expressive Language activity–An Elephant who loves eggs.
Use it to present the Visual perception of the letter–Letter “c” cookies for the clown.
Emphasize the Auditory/Visual input with an apple for the “short a” letter song.
The Ready Reading lessons include some suggestions for specific types of snacks. Browsing the snack aisles in the stores will likely show numerous other possibilities. MMMMMMMM GOOD!!!