Sensory Boxes

[Boxcar]

I need help brainstorming again. You have all been so great in helping me find some wonderful ideas and giving me hints, tips, and warnings that I thought I'd ask your imput for this too.

I want to create a series of medium-sized boxes with objects in them. The children will close thier eyes, reach in, and guess the object they are holding. A hole will be cut in the top for this purpose.

The part I need some assistance with is this: I want to create some themed boxes. I have Seasons pretty much down, but that is only four boxes. What else could I do?

Or

Do you think the themes would make it too easy? Am I making a mistake changing things up like this?

Thanks in advance.

:)

[Chef Dave]

The part I need some assistance with is this: I want to create some themed boxes. I have Seasons pretty much down, but that is only four boxes. What else could I do?
:)


I forgot ... what grade do you teach?

[Boxcar]

Preschool is my age group. The ages are three to five.

[Chef Dave]

Okay ... what about ...

Name that fruit or vegetable ... (carrot ... apple slice ... bunch of grapes ... orange slice ... )

Name that dinner food ... (mashed potatoes ... rice ... spaghetti noodles ... french fry ... fried chicken nugget ... )

Name that snack ... (cookie ... pretzel ... potato chip ... pudding ... raisins ...)

[busbus]

Are you teaching shapes at this age? If so, you could put large or medium sized basic shapes in the box for them to identify.

If you are teaching numerals, you can do the same thing - that is if you have large or medium sized individual plastic or wooden numerals. Use the numerals that you have taught.

In addition to numerals, how about the upper or lower case manuscript letters? Which ever ones you have taught. I have seen older Pre-K students with an upper or lower case letter and feel in the box to find its match.

These ideas might work best with your five year olds.

[avid reader]

What about soft items and hard items. For soft items- cotton balls, feathers, yarn, pipe cleaner. Hard items- rock, block of wood, key.
Or various round things an orange, a golf ball, and a softball, then you could talk about the texture of each one and size.

[Boxcar]

Those are all good ideas.

I'd have to use the plastic food from housekeeping, but that is fine. THey make really realistic items these days. (There are a lot of rules about food and food items,) All the kids would be able to do this box which is great. I like this a lot because I'm considering doing a Unit on food and nutrition. That is one of the things you are expected to teach (I would anyways.) and this is a wonderful addition.

Yes, the younger ones are working on shapes. The threes would especially like this box. To make it go up to the fives level, I could add more complex shapes.

I have really nice foam letters that I can put in for the fives. I don't want to just do the regular writing and early ltieracy activites as they don't work for all the children, and this would be a great way to begin to teach the letters and numbers. The fours could probably do this activity too. If I put in a S, an A, and an O, they could match what they felt with a cue card. The children need this skill before Kindergarten and this is one fun way to help them work on letter recognition. A lot of children are tactile learners, and this would work well for them.

Thanks for the ideas. I could only think of things like holidays, and I really didn't want to go there.

[minimiracles]

I have used it as a way to get the other children involved. Give one child the box and let him/her pick something from the classroom to put in it while everyone else hids their eyes. Then let the children guess what it is. Or use it as a show and tell and let a different child take the box home at night along with a note explaining it to the parents and let them put and item or 2 in it and bring it back to school the next day. (have an extra ready just in case)

[Boxcar]

Avid reader, I missed your post until today. I love the idea of soft/hard objects. The suggestion of circles is also really good. Because the items are the same shape, the kids really can focus on the textures.

Minimiricles, I like the cooperative nature of your idea. The children will be more engaged that way, and I could use it as a getting-to-know-you thing if the children bring things from home.

[DeniseB]

How about using things with different textures. Like sand paper, or cotton balls, things like that. I'm trying to find things for senses too but the kids are 2 & 3 years olds. I'm not quite sure how to approach this topic. Any sugestions would help.

[Boxcar]

The twos and threes love to stick thier hands in things. Filling Rubbermaid tubs with jello, shaving cream, beads, sand, snow, dried peas, pudding, feathers, ect is always a big hit. Of course, don't do all the bins in one day. One type of substance at a time is adequate. Have paper towels, water, ect. on hand. Be ready to manage the messy stuff. A drop cloth is a good idea!

Also, search for glow-in-the-dark putty. I did that recently with the preschoolers, and they loved it.

[Boxcar]

Oh, feet can also be used with any sensory hand activity. Most of the children get excited about this change in typical procedure...