1. Super Senses
Class 5 · Environmental Studies
4 ideas in Class 5 Environmental Studies, explained in plain words, with games and quizzes to practise.
Smell as a Clue
Part of: Senses in the animal world
Smell gives many animals useful information. Ants can follow a scent left along a path, mosquitoes can locate people using body and foot smells as well as body heat, and dogs can notice scent marks that show where another dog has been.
Why it matters. Noticing how animals gather information helps children explain behaviour instead of guessing from what they can see.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask what clues a person can use when something is hidden.
- Discuss how an animal might use smell when it cannot see the source.
- Have your child explain why one smell can guide an animal to a place.
Try at home. Invite your child to describe a familiar smell and explain what it can tell a person. Do not use strong or unsafe substances.
Seeing from Different Positions
Part of: Senses in the animal world
Eye position affects the view an animal gets. Many birds have eyes on the sides of their heads, while some birds have eyes toward the front. Birds with fixed eyes often turn their heads to look in another direction. The chapter also compares the far-seeing ability of some birds of prey with human sight.
Why it matters. Children can connect body features with how an animal gathers information about its surroundings.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask your child to look straight ahead without turning their head.
- Have them notice what is visible at the sides and what is not.
- Discuss why an animal might turn its head to inspect something.
Try at home. Compare what you can see when facing forward with what you can see after turning your head. Never cover a child's eyes while walking.
Hearing and Sending Warnings
Part of: Senses in the animal world
Animals can use sound to warn others. A langur may call when it notices danger, and different bird calls can signal danger from the sky or from the ground. Fish can send warning signals using electrical signals. Snakes have no external ears and can detect vibrations through contact with the ground.
Why it matters. This helps children recognize that animals communicate and sense their surroundings in different ways.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask your child how a warning sound helps a group.
- Compare hearing an airborne sound with feeling a vibration through a surface.
- Discuss why an animal might use a different signal from another animal.
Try at home. Tap a table gently and notice how the vibration feels through a hand resting on it. Keep the sound soft.
Senses for Survival
Part of: Senses in the animal world
Animals use different senses for survival. A sloth spends many hours sleeping and moves slowly among nearby trees. A tiger uses strong night vision, sensitive whiskers and sharp hearing to notice prey. Tigers also mark territories, while hunting and forest destruction threaten them.
Why it matters. Children can see how an animal's body and behaviour connect to its surroundings, and why protecting habitats matters.
Try it in two minutes
- Ask what a tiger might need to detect prey in dim light.
- Discuss why an animal may rest for long periods in a particular season.
- Name one human action the chapter identifies as a threat to tigers.
Try at home. Choose an animal and make a simple cause-and-effect chain linking one body feature to how it finds food or avoids danger.
What your child will practise
- Hearing and Sending Warnings: Desert Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Seeing from Different Positions: Space Puzzle (Clue Puzzle)
- Seeing from Different Positions: Space Quick Fire (Quick Fire)
- Senses for Survival: Animal Parade Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Smell as a Clue: Jungle Quest (Collect the Answer)
- Quiz: Hearing and Sending Warnings (8 questions)
- Quiz: Seeing from Different Positions (8 questions)
- Quiz: Senses for Survival (8 questions)
- Quiz: Smell as a Clue (8 questions)