Over the years we’ve shared a lot of hands-on ways to learn about the five senses. A while ago I saw this great literacy activity from Fun-A-Day, and I’ve wanted to try scratch and sniff art ever since. Here we’re using stencils to guide our creations, but you could also do this as a process art activity by eliminating the stencils.
Materials
- Jello-powder in a variety of scents and colors (placed in open shallow containers)
- White school glue
- White cardstock
- Cookie cutters
See a Quick Video Demonstration of this Five Senses Art Project
Make Your Own Scratch and Sniff Five Senses Art
Started by using your senses of smell and sight to investigate the jello-powder. Tinker did her best to identify the flavors in each small container.
Next place cookie cutters on the paper where you want the pictures to go. We found that placing them upside down worked best for keeping them stable. Squeeze glue into the space inside the cookie cutter. You can either create the outline only, or fill in the whole shape. It’s up to you!
Sprinkle jell-o powder inside of the stencil to completely cover the glue. It’s neat to see the colors become more vivid as they get wet from the glue.
We worked on one stencil at a time, and left them all in place to avoid mixing the jell-o powder. Once the stencils were finished Tinker used the glue without stencils to add details to her picture. She added grass, the sky, antennae for the butterfly, and a stem for her flower.
Once the picture is finished remove the cookie cutters so they don’t get stuck to the paper. Leave the powder in place to dry overnight.
The next day sprinkle the extra powder off of the picture and gently wipe away any remaining powder on the picture.
Don’t forget to gently scratch the picture in different spots and then smell the scented masterpiece!
A Full Week of 5 Senses Lesson Plans
Continue learning about the five senses with our printable lesson plan set. Each set includes over 30 playful learning activities related to the theme, and we’ve provide different versions for home preschool families and classroom teachers so all activities are geared directly toward your needs.
Help kids learn about the five senses while engaging in cross-curricular activities during this week long theme for preschool classes. Kids will engage all five senses as they participate in art, sensory, math, science, and literacy activities.
Watch this short video to see just a few examples of the types of activities and printables included in this set:
Get Your Copy
Home Preschool Five Senses Theme Lesson Plans (in our shop or on TpT)
Preschool Classroom Five Senses Theme Lesson Plans (in our shop or on TpT)
Jean
I just love your ideas as I am not very creative. Is there a way to seal the jello powder later for sending home – hairspray? Couldn’t we also use sugar, cinnamon, salt?
Shaunna Evans
I’m so glad you are enjoying the ideas!
You probably “could” find something to seal them but I haven’t tested that. Instead I just slip the completed artwork into a sheet protector or plastic zip-top bag. It helps to have the plan in place so you can trim the paper beforehand if needed.
There are definitely a variety of “scented” options you could use. I like Jell-o powder because of the color options. Cinnamon with salt (or even a fine sand) as a filler would work. You don’t really “need” the sugar since it doesn’t add color or scent. You could also have parents donate old or unused spices and let kids experiment with them to see which colors and scents they like.