Nature sensory boxes

Materials You Need: Boxes - shoe boxes will work perfectly, blindfold, different natural materials.  

What You Can Do Together: Head into the great outdoors in search of natural materials for your boxes. Before collecting your items, be sure they are safe to touch. Things that will work well are leaves, small pebbles, shells, twigs, pinecones, acorns, conquers, grass, straw, flowers and sand. 

Put each of the items you've gathered in a separate box, then arrange the boxes next to each other on the ground or on a table. The more objects/materials you collect, and the more varied the textures, the better! Players then take it in turn to feel the different items whilst blindfolded - can they guess them all correctly using only their sense of touch? 

It's better that players haven't seen any of the materials before playing. However, if players do know the natural objects included - or if players wish to play several times - you can always rearrange the boxes each go. Why not set a timer and see who can identify the items the fastest?! 

After each player has had a go, see if they can guess the items by touching the boxes only! Can they figure out the natural objects by lifting, shaking and listening to what's inside? 

What Your Child is Learning: This outdoor activity for kids is a great way to get youngsters excited about nature. As they touch and feel all kinds of natural materials, they'll put their senses to the test and learn about the world around them!