Objective

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to explore and learn about Earth Science concepts using a sensory tray.

Materials and Prep

• A shallow tray or container
• Sand or soil
• Rocks and pebbles
• Plastic animals or plants
• Water
• Small shovel or spoon

Before starting the lesson, make sure to gather all the materials and set up the sensory tray by filling it with sand or soil, placing rocks and pebbles, and adding plastic animals or plants. Also, have water nearby for certain activities.

Activities

1. Exploring Different Textures: Encourage your senses by touching and feeling different textures in the sensory tray. Run your fingers through the sand or soil, feel the smoothness of rocks, and notice the different sensations.
2. Creating Landforms: Use the sand or soil to shape different landforms like mountains, hills, and valleys. Experiment with different shapes and sizes.
3. Building Habitats: Use the rocks, pebbles, and plastic animals or plants to create different habitats. Build a desert habitat, a forest habitat, or even an ocean habitat.
4. Observing Erosion: Pour water gently onto the sand or soil and observe how it affects the landforms. Notice how the water moves the sand or soil and creates erosion patterns.
5. Identifying Objects: Hide small objects like shells or small toys in the sensory tray. Use your shovel or spoon to dig and find the hidden objects. Try to identify each object and describe its characteristics.

Transitional-Kindergarten Grade Talking Points

• "Today, we are going to learn about Earth Science using a sensory tray. Earth Science is all about studying our planet, the Earth, and everything on it."
• "We will be using our senses to explore different textures in the sensory tray. We will touch and feel the sand, rocks, and other objects."
• "We will also learn about different landforms like mountains, hills, and valleys. We can shape them using the sand or soil in the sensory tray."
• "We will create habitats for different animals and plants using rocks, pebbles, and plastic animals or plants. We can make a desert habitat, a forest habitat, or even an ocean habitat."
• "We will observe how water affects the landforms by pouring water gently onto the sand or soil. We will see how it moves the sand or soil and creates erosion patterns."
• "Lastly, we will have a fun activity of finding hidden objects in the sensory tray. We will use a shovel or spoon to dig and find the objects. We will try to identify each object and describe its characteristics."