osensetouch

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Sense of Touch

*From Stormie:
Although I'm posting ideas below as often as I can, my very favorite activities for this theme have been reserved for my "SEE, HEAR, TOUCH" booklet (see the "Stormie's Stuff for Teachers" section of my website).

Sandpaper Surprise Rubbings: Cover a small table with lots of "Halloween theme" coarsely-grained sandpaper cut-outs -- sandpaper side up (you can anchor them to the table with Ticky-Tack). Cover the entire table with white butcher paper, taping it to the undersides of the table. Now, let children feel the covered tabletop with their hands, trying to guess the shapes underneath. Tell them to think of "Halloween things." (There will be "smooth" areas where nothing is on the table underneath, and "rough" areas where the sandpaper shapes are located.) Now, the REALLY fun part: Children rub all over the table using the sides of crayons (without wrappers). All the shapes appear! Later, let children help you tear off the paper to see what's truly there.
To lessen the difficulty, show the shapes to the children first then hide them under the butcher paper later when they don't see you doing it.
Extension: Lay other things on the table between the sandpaper cut-outs before covering it up (pieces of yarn, rubber bands, flat buttons, craft sticks, etc).
Note: This can be done with any theme! I suggest buying the sandpaper from thrift stores or garage sales. If some shapes are too difficult to cut from it, use something else -- anything textured or with a raised surface should work. For example, corrugated cardboard is an option.

How about some good ole' "Slime" for the sense of touch, plus it's Halloweenish too:
Slime: Mix 2 cups white glue (some say Elmer's brand is best) with 1 1/2 cups of water and a choice of food coloring. In another bowl, dissolve 1 TEASP. Borax in the remaining 1/2 cup of water. Add this to the glue mixture. It will clump up where the two mixtures meet so you must now knead it to get it all to mix properly. If you want it more slimy, add a tad more water.

You are invited to share your ideas too. E-mail me at stormie@preschoolbystormie.com

*From Sue:
Touch Books: I have gone to decorating firms and gotten old fabric sample books and wallpaper books to use as "touch books." (Of course, you can use them for scraps in art projects too.)

*From Amanda Wood, Australia:
Tactile Cards: As I teach disabled children, my programs consist of a lot of sensory based activities. We often use tactile cards to teach letters and numbers. We draw a black outline of each number/letter on square pieces of thick cardboard. The students then glue different things inside the outlines such as sand, cellophane, wool, pebbles, pasta, and so on. The children are then able to feel the letter or number which is a useful tool when teaching the writing component of these. If a collection of tactile cards are to be made, it is better to put them in an old photo album or a scrapbook.

*From Shonna D'Aramo, in New York:
Science/Gooey Fun: Stormie, I combine the themes of "colors" and "sense of touch" with this activity: I give each child two bowls of flour. Using spoons, they stir yellow dry tempera paint into one bowl of flour and red into the other. They then add a little water and stir the mixtures again (experiencing that fact that stirring is now more difficult). I allow their experimental desires to lead them (adding more water, more tempera, more flour, etc). They can feel and manipulate the goop with their hands too and even attempt to fingerpaint with it on various kinds of paper (wax paper, foil, fingerpaint paper, and scrap paper). At some point, they mix the two colors, creating orange. Yes, this is messy, but it's also fun science, and can be repeated with other colors too.

*Leanne Grillot, Teacher of the Visually Impaired for the Monterey County Office of Education, puts cotton in her sensory table.

*Raquel Gosser, from Greenwood, Indiana, suggests putting "goop" in your sensory table.

*From Jennifer Williams, teacher of special needs preschoolers:
Pool of Fun: Instead of a water table, we use a small hard plastic kid's pool. We fill it with many different things throughout the year, depending on our themes (paper, rubber bugs, Styrofoam peanuts, etc). Our pool rules are: Only two children in it at a time, no sitting on the sides, and shoes come off before getting in. One of the many fun things that takes place is that of walking on the various items in the pool with bare or sock feet, thus providing a tactile experience for little feet. The children LOVE it! It's like playing in a regular pool, but with a medium other than water. For safety, you may want to set the pool on a gym mat. We have also padded the walls where the pool is located.
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