All Time Favorite Exercise

Perhaps my student's favorite exercise--the one they feel they get the most out of--is the one I do first in the semester. It's called the five senses exercise and most of you are probably familiar with it. I use with with intense observation, and they either do it outside, or in the classroom, depending on the weather. They are to observe an object (sometimes the room) and write about it using as many senses as possible. I give them the talk about how most humans go through life half asleep, not paying attention to what is around them, and it's part of the writer's job to wake people up. Using your senses can create vivid writing, and if you're stuck, you can run through the five senses to get the writing rolling again. Where are you weakest? No smells in your writing? No colors?