Texture Garden

This is a great sensory craft activity which also gives the fine motor skills a work out. Our craft box was bursting at the seams with items of different textures so I wanted to find a way to put them to good use.

WE USED:

* giant popsticks
* playdough (could also use a foam florists block)
* blutac
* scissors
* something for your flowers to be 'planted' into - small box, vase, jar, cup, flower pot etc... We used a small bucket.
* craft items of different textures that can be cut into flower shapes.

For our flowers we used; twine, pipecleaners, carpet and lino squares (left over from dollshouse renovations), felt, thick fabric, bubble wrap, cardboard, alfoil, corrugated cardboard, pattypans.

Other ideas: sandpaper sheets, puff paint, satin fabric, tulle, muslin, hessian, wool, minky fabric, milk bottle tops glued to cardboard, tissue paper, cellophane.

Twine flower -
loops of twine secured with a cut pipecleaner.
Pattypan flower -
flattened patty pan cut around the edges to a flower shape.
Felt flower -
cut freehand from a sheet of felt (you could also use a template traced or printed from online)

Fabric flower -
our fabric was thick enough to support itself (uphostery fabric), if your fabrics are thinner they can be glued to card to reinforce them).
Alfoil flower -
cut thin cardboard (we used some from a cereal box) into your flower shape and then cover with alfoil.
Carpet flower -
this flower was cut from a carpet square left over from renovating the girls dollshouse. Carpet squares are quite cheap (around $4) from hardware stores.

Bubble wrap flower -
I just cut a circle then cut slits all the way around from the edge towards the centre. The middle is a small circle of felt.
Lino flower -
cut from a lino square left over from the dollshouse renovation. Lino squares can also be bought from hardware stores.
Corrugated cardboard flower -
cut from corrugated card bought from a craft shop.

Fill your chosen flower bed with playdough (or your foam florist block). We used the spice scented playdough from yesterdays volcano which had the double benefit of looking like soil and smelling wonderful!

Bubble putting blutac on a popstick ready to make a flower.

On goes the flower head.

Bubble 'planting' her garden.

They looked even better in real life, Bubble has been touching them, rearranging them and pulling them out to play with all day today.

Feeling all the different textures. Bubble said the carpet flower was her favourite and Squeak couldn't stay away from the shiny alfoil one.

“Come play at the Childhood 101 We Play link up”