Test Your Senses
Knowing what something is when you can't see it can sometimes be difficult.
People who are blind use their sense of smell, taste, hearing and touch to recognise everyday things.
Choose one or more of these activities to test your classmates' senses.
A. In groups design a Guess Who Box. For this you will need a shoe box and about six items, from your home or classroom, small enough to fit in the box. Glue or stick the objects you have chosen to the bottom of the box, cut a hole big enough for a hand into one side of the box and tape the lid on so that it can't be lifted. Now, get your classmates to guess the items you have in the box. How well did they do without seeing them?
B. Put different objects in a bag and pass it around the class. See whether others can guess what's inside.
C. In groups prepare a selection of items which have a scent or smell, some strong, others not so strong, some pleasant and some unpleasant. Blindfold members of another group and ask them to guess what the objects are.
D. Invite another group to be blindfolded and let them taste and smell different foods. Choose a variety of foods so that some have a strong taste and others are not so strong.
E. Design a tactile picture which can be felt by children who are blind. Once you have made the picture, get your classmates to close their eyes and see if they can tell what it is.
Now discuss how well your group did, and how well others guessed the things you prepared. Was it easy to recognise something just by smelling or tasting it? What foods or objects were the easiest and the hardest?