DIY TEXTURE CARDS
Most preschoolers love to explore different textures. It is easy to make your own texture cards from everyday items found in the classroom, at home, or in nature.
Have the children brainstorm words that describe different textures. Some examples: Crinkly, Soft, Prickly, Smooth, Bumpy, Hard, Shiny, Gooey, Slimy, Wet, Dry, Rough, etc. Pass out a small lunch bag to each of the children. Take the children outside for a texture scavenger hunt (or have the children hunt inside the house or classroom). Nature provides many wonderful textures for the children to explore!
Come together for sharing after the scavenger hunt. Ask the children to share a few items from their bags using the descriptive words previously discussed. Some of the items can then be used to make textured matching cards for the children. Glue or tape the items to index cards or cardstock. Make 2 copies of each card. Scramble the items in a large basket or bin and see if the children can find the matching cards by TOUCH alone! For very young children, LIMIT the number of items in the basket to only a few different textures to start. More items can be added as the children gain confidence in matching the differing textured cards. Leftover items from the scavenger hunt can be used to make a sensory bin for further explorations!
LEAF PRINTED FALL TREES
We collected some of the leaves found on our scavenger hunt to use as “painting tools” for our Fall Tree Craft. The leaves print best when tempera paint is applied to the underside of the leaf with a paintbrush (dragging the leaves through the paint tray will make for “leaf globs” instead of actual leaf PRINTS!) If the leaves aren’t too dry, the children can use a paper towel to wipe the paint from the leaf for use with another color. Some of the children applied 2 or 3 colors on top of each other which made for interesting and beautiful leaf prints. It was a fun way for us explore the many leaves the children collected on our texture hunt!
For more awesome activities, see The Preschool and Kindergarten Themes for Active Learning and Play!