Preschool Lesson Plan: Popcorn (A Sensory Activity)

This is a fantastic activity for preschoolers that involves the use of all five of their senses. Make popcorn! It can't get much simpler than that, can it? And even better, make it any way you choose, although I suggest an air popper for the best visual sensory experience. Still, if need be, even popping a bag of popcorn in the microwave will work as long as the children have view of the microwave interior.

Supplies:

popcorn
necessary items to pop the popcorn
small cups
white sheet of paper for each child
pencils
glue
crayons or markers

The sheets of paper, writing utensils and glue are necessary for the making of a booklet recording each preschooler's sensory experience with popcorn.

Directions:

1. Make the popcorn where the children will be able to see and hear it popping. If you are using an air popper, set a sheet on the classroom floor with the air popper in the center. Have your preschool students sit in a circle around the air popper. Prepare the popcorn according to directions, first letting your students see, touch and smell the kernels before they have been popped. Let your students verbally express their impressions of the unpopped kernels.

2. After the popcorn has popped and cooled to the touch, hand one piece to each of your preschool students. Ask your preschool students to describe how the popped popcorn pieces feel, smell and taste. Ask them what the popcorn looked like as it was popping in the air popper.

3. Regarding the sense of hearing, ask your preschool students to describe the sounds they heard as the popcorn popped. Some of them may even wish to physically demonstrate the popping corn!

4. Have your preschool students sit at their desks or the classroom art table. Provide each with a sheet of white construction paper that you have marked off into 5 boxes of similar size. In each box, one sense word should be written. For example, at the bottom of box 1, write See. Older preschooler students can copy the words from examples you have posted on the classroom white board.

5. In the See box, have your preschool students glue on an unpopped kernel of popcorn and also a popped piece of popcorn. Let them also draw images of those two items, using corresponding colors of crayons. Older preschool students might want to write the words yellow and white.

6. In the Hear box, have older students write words describing the sounds they heard such as pop and crack. They can copy these words from the white board. Younger students might draw a simple picture of a piece of popcorn with short lines going up and around it, demonstrating the concept of popping.

7. For the Smell box, have the preschool students again glue on a kernel of unpopped popcorn and a piece of popped popcorn. Next to each, ask them to draw smiley face for a good smell or a sad face if they disliked the smell. If they didn't smell anything at all, they can write, trace or copy the words No Smell.

8. In the Touch box, again have them glue the two pieces on the paper. Next to each piece let them copy words to describe what they felt such as bumpy and smooth. Younger students can draw a straight line for smooth and a curvy line for bumpy.

9. For the Taste box, just have your preschool students draw a big smiley face or sad face, according to their perception of the taste of popcorn. Older students may want to draw a stick of butter or a salt shaker, also.

Once the sensory page has been completed, let the kids sit back, relax and eat the rest of the popcorn!