Year 1 Science: Using my senses to find things out
Part of the Year 1 Science my body and my senses chapter. Chapter overview · whole chapter on one page · Download worksheet (PDF) · Answers (PDF)
Using my senses to find things out
Scientists use their senses to find out about the world. A bell can tell us it is ringing, because we hear it. A flower can tell us it smells nice, because we smell it. A lemon tastes sour, and a feather feels soft.
We must keep safe. Never taste something unless a grown-up says it is safe to eat. Never look straight at the Sun. Be careful with hot things, like a hot pan, and do not touch them.
Key ideas
- We use our senses to find out about things around us.
- Hear a bell with your ears.
- Smell a flower with your nose.
- Taste a lemon with your tongue. Only taste with a grown-up.
- Feel a feather with your skin.
Method. Look at the bell in the picture. Think about how we find it out.
- Look at the picture. The bell is the one we are asked about.the bell
- Think about how we notice it. A bell makes a sound when it rings.bell: hear
- Write the answer. hear
Check. Say it as a sentence: We use our hear to notice the bell. ✓
Watch out. Think about how you notice the thing, not what the word looks like.
Method. Look at the feather in the picture. Think about how we find it out.
- Look at the picture. The feather is the one we are asked about.the feather
- Think about how we notice it. A feather feels soft.feather: touch
- Write the answer. touch
Check. Say it as a sentence: We use our touch to notice the feather. ✓
Watch out. Think about how you notice the thing, not what the word looks like.
Method. Think about which body part we use to find out about the sun.
- Look at the sun. We can see the sun is bright.sun is bright
- Think about the body part. We see with our eyes, but we never look straight at the sun.eyes
- Write the answer. Never look straight at the Sun. Look away, or look at a picture of it.eyes (see)
Check. Never look straight at the Sun. Look at a picture of it instead. ✓
Watch out. Never look straight at the Sun. It can hurt your eyes.
Watch out
Watch out: do not taste something to find out what it is, unless a grown-up says it is safe. Some plants and berries can make you ill. Always ask a grown-up first.
Try it at home
Go on a sense hunt with a grown-up. Find five things at home. For each thing, say which sense you used to find it out. Do not taste anything, and do not look at the Sun. Make a chart with two columns: the thing, and the sense.
Exam tip
Grown-up tip. Ask your child: “What do you notice?” Let them choose the senses they use most. Make the chart together on paper, using a pencil and a ruler.
Exercise 6E Using my senses
Method. Look at the bell in the picture. Think about how we find it out.
- Look at the picture. The bell is the one we are asked about.the bell
- Think about how we notice it. A bell makes a sound when it rings.bell: hear
- Write the answer. hear
Check. Say it as a sentence: We use our hear to notice the bell. ✓
Watch out. Think about how you notice the thing, not what the word looks like.
Method. Look at the flower in the picture. Think about how we find it out.
- Look at the picture. The flower is the one we are asked about.the flower
- Think about how we notice it. Some flowers have a nice smell.flower: smell
- Write the answer. smell
Check. Say it as a sentence: We use our smell to notice the flower. ✓
Watch out. Think about how you notice the thing, not what the word looks like.
Method. Look at the lemon in the picture. Think about how we find it out.
- Look at the picture. The lemon is the one we are asked about.the lemon
- Think about how we notice it. A lemon tastes sour.lemon: taste
- Write the answer. taste
Check. Say it as a sentence: We use our taste to notice the lemon. ✓
Watch out. Think about how you notice the thing, not what the word looks like.
Method. Look at the feather in the picture. Think about how we find it out.
- Look at the picture. The feather is the one we are asked about.the feather
- Think about how we notice it. A feather feels soft.feather: touch
- Write the answer. touch
Check. Say it as a sentence: We use our touch to notice the feather. ✓
Watch out. Think about how you notice the thing, not what the word looks like.
Method. Look at the sun in the picture. Think about how we find it out.
- Look at the picture. The sun is the one we are asked about.the sun
- Think about how we notice it. The sun is very bright, so we can see it.sun: see
- Write the answer. see
Check. Say it as a sentence: We use our see to notice the sun. ✓
Watch out. Think about how you notice the thing, not what the word looks like.
Key words. A sense is a way of finding out about things. Smell uses the nose.
Method. Think about what the sense helps you do. Then find the body part that does it.
- Think about the sense. We use our smell to find out about things.smell
- Find the body part. We use the nose to smell.nose
- Write the answer. nose
Check. Say it as a sentence: We use the nose to smell. ✓
Watch out. Each sense has its own body part. Do not use the ears for smelling.
Method. Think about how you feel a cold cup.
- Think about the cup. You feel the cold cup on your hands.hands feel cold
- Find the body part. Your hands are covered in skin, which feels the cold.skin feels cold
- Write the answer. skin (touch)
Check. Hold a cup of cool water with a grown-up. You feel it with your skin. ✓
Watch out. Think about the covering on your hands, which is your skin.
Method. Think about how we find out a song is loud.
- Think about a loud song. A loud song makes a big sound in our ears.loud sound
- Find the sense. We use our ears to hear sounds.ears = hear
- Write the answer. hear
Check. Say it as a sentence: We use our ears to hear the song. ✓
Watch out. Think about which sense hears sounds, not the one that sees the music.
Method. Think about which sense hears a sound.
- Read the sentence. A dog barking makes a sound.a sound
- Find the sense. We hear sounds with our ears.hear
- Write the answer. hear
Check. Bark like a dog and listen. You hear it. ✓
Watch out. The sound is heard, not seen.
Method. Think about how you feel the warm mug.
- Read the sentence. You feel the mug with your hands.hands on the mug
- Find the sense. Feeling with the skin is touch.touch
- Write the answer. touch
Check. Touch a warm mug with a grown-up. You feel the warmth. ✓
Watch out. Warm things are felt with the skin.
Method. Think about how we know the bread is there.
- Read the sentence. Bread has a smell that we notice.a smell
- Find the sense. We smell with our nose.smell
- Write the answer. smell
Check. Sniff some bread with a grown-up. You can smell it. ✓
Watch out. Smelling is done with the nose.
Method. Think about how we notice a rainbow.
- Read the sentence. A rainbow has bright colours that we notice.bright colours
- Find the sense. We see with our eyes.see
- Write the answer. see
Check. Look at a picture of a rainbow. You see the colours. ✓
Watch out. Seeing is done with the eyes.
Method. Check which sense Ruby used.
- Read what Ruby said. Ruby says she used her ears.ears
- Think about smelling. Smelling is done with the nose, not the ears.nose = smell
- Write the answer. No. Ruby should use her nose to smell the flowers.
Check. Sniff a flower with a grown-up. You use your nose. ✓
Watch out. Ears hear. Nose smells.
Method. Think about what can happen when we taste things that we do not know.
- Think about berries. Some plants and berries are poisonous.some are poisonous
- Think about what a grown-up does. A grown-up can check whether something is safe to eat.grown-up checks
- Write the answer. Some berries are poisonous, so a grown-up must check first.
Check. Never taste a berry or plant from the garden without a grown-up. ✓
Watch out. Do not taste anything outside, even if it looks nice.
Method. Think about how you smell a lemon.
- Predict what happens. Closing your eyes stops you seeing the lemon, but your nose still works.nose works
- Plan a test. Close your eyes. A grown-up holds a lemon near your nose, then asks what you smelled.a grown-up holds it near
- Check the result. If you can smell the lemon, your nose works with your eyes shut.smells the lemon
Check. Try it with a grown-up. Did you smell the lemon? ✓
Watch out. Do not put the lemon right into your nose. Hold it a little way away.
Method. Think about which sense helps you find a bell in a box.
- Think about the bell. A bell makes a sound when you shake it.a sound
- Find the sense. We hear the sound with our ears, so we know where the bell is.hear
- Write the answer. Hearing helps you find the bell, even in a box.hear (ears)
Check. Shake a bell in a box with a grown-up. Can you hear it? ✓
Watch out. Use a safe bell, and do not shake it too hard.