Step 1
Step 2
A Touchy Subject
45 Minutes
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How perceptive is our sense of touch?
Children’s bodies are undergoing constant change. By getting to know their own bodies better, these changes can be less mysterious, and a child who is in tune with their body can use their senses as tools to explore the world around them. This activity helps kids explore their sense of touch.
Preparation
Straighten out enough paper clips for the whole group.
instructions
Opening Discussion
Ask your students what part of their body senses “touch”. Do all parts of their body “feel” things the same way? Are some parts more or less sensitive than others?
The Challenge
Can you figure out if all parts of your skin sense touch the same, or if different parts sense it differently?
Doing the Activity
- Divide your students into teams of 2.
- One person in each team will be the “Tester”, and the other will be the “Senser”. The Senser should sit in a chair with their arm on a table and close his or her eyes or wear a blindfold so he or she can’t see what the Tester is doing.
- The Tester should touch the ends of the 2 straightened-out paper clips to the Senser’s forearm, about 6 inches apart, then ask the Senser how many paper clips they feel touching their arm.
- Move the paper clips a little closer and ask the Senser how many clips he or she feels, and move them closer until they say it feels like just 1. Measure the distance between the 2 clips, and write down the distance.
- Switch roles so every child has a chance to try the activity.
When every child has tested their skin, bring students together to share their observations with each other. Was anything surprising? How close were the paper clips when it felt like just 1? Do they think they’d get the same results on different parts of their body? This discussion should last about 5 minutes.
Have them repeat the experiment on different parts of their bodies and record the results. The Senser should choose which parts of his or her body are tested.
Suggestions
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An alternate method to the first part of the activity is to touch the clips to the arm close together and move them farther apart until the Senser feels both clips.
- Make sure your students are gentle with the paper clips – poking too hard can hurt!
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