What's That Smell?????

STEM Lab was a smelly -- and tasty -- place this week!  Students concluded their study of the senses with a "Smell & Taste" Lab.  Students smelled some familiar and unfamiliar odors, up close and personal.  They related memories of those smells from their lives.  Again, we talked about how our memory holds so much information related to our senses.

Students also participated in tasting some different types of food, and collecting data on it.  They tasted salty foods such as sea salt and pretzels; sweet foods such as cookies and jelly beans; sour foods such as "Sour Patch Kids," lemons, and pickles; and bitter foods such as lemon rind.  We charted the various kinds of taste receptors located on the tongue.

Students conducted an experiment based upon the hypothesis that taste and smell are closely related.  Students consumed jelly beans while holding their noses.  Most reported being unable to taste the jelly bean at all while holding their nose.  We discussed the math term ratio, and we charted the data from the experiment.  Overwhelmingly, our experiments showed a close relation between smell and taste.

We learned some really cool facts, too!  

• Did you know that a dog has 1,000,000 smell cells per nostril -- 100x more than humans??

• Did you know that some people have no sense of smell, a condition known as Anosmia?

• Most people can tell the difference between 4,000 - 10,000 DIFFERENT smells! 

• Fish can tat with their fins and tail, as well as their mouth

•  In general, girls have more tastebuds than boys! 

Also--plants are now growing IN our Tower Garden!  The students are very excited about this ongoing project!!

Our cucumbers and butternut squash are the biggest, but everything is growing well!

Fun with sour lemons!

Dylan learned that you cannot taste anything if you hold your nose!

Grady loves lemons!  He doesn't think they are sour at all!

Abby tests our hypothesis in the jelly bean experiment.

This is SOUR!!

What is that smell?  Pine-Sol?  Gross!

I know that smell!  VINEGAR!

Students try to determine the mystery smell!

Students test our hypothesis that taste and smell are closely related.

Sixth graders collect data from the lab--an important part in proving our hypothesis.

Students learned that lemons are sour, and sour taste buds are on the side of the tongue!

Lemons are tasty!

Luke examines two compounds, sugar and salt.

The twelve mystery smell containers.

These girls are excited about the lemons!

Cooper is really into this lab!

Taylor's face says it all!

Olivia works on gathering data for her lab sheet.

Please note:  Next week, we begin our study of the human body and its systems.  We will begin with the skeletal system!  Before our next lab, students are to use Google (at home) to find an interesting fact on "human bones."