Six Senses Activity

Purpose: 

A storytelling activity to develop sensory awareness and verbal descriptive skills. This activity also honors the sixth sense: intuition or inner knowledge.

Here's what you do:   This is an exercise in describing your story from the point of view of one of the characters in the story.

     You will pick one character in the story, put yourself in the place of that character - drop yourself right into their skin, fur, feathers, bark, or whatever! Now, one sense at a time, see what they see, hear what they hear, smell what they smell, taste what they taste, touch what they touch, and know what they know about the story.

SEE:

Ask yourself: What does your character see? What shapes? What colors? What living creatures? Can you describe them?

HEAR:

What does your character hear? Is the sound loud? Soft? Near? Far?? Try to remember the last time you did something like this activity and describe what you heard.

TASTE:

What do you [the character] taste? Anything?? Sweet? Sour? Tangy? Bitter? What is it? Does the character like the taste?

SMELL:

What do you [the character] smell? Is is pleasant? Can you describe it? Does the smell cause the character to act in any particular way?

TOUCH:

What do you touch or what's touching you? Is it smooth? rough? cold? hot? prickly? Is there a temperature? What's under you?

KNOW:

Finally, what does the character know about what's happening in the story? Is the character happy? sad? sheepish? successful? unsuccessful? etc.

LASTLY -

  Is there anything you now want to add to the story? If so, what?

 Do this activity several times, from the perspective of each of the main          characters in the story. After working your way through this exercise, I    guarantee that you will know your story very well indeed - and always  remember it!

 NEXT STEPS: 

         Tell the story again and again!