Sandpaper Activities

Sand Paper Cactus Craft

August 3, 2010

I know I have already started getting ready for back to school but I am not ready to give up on the sun quite yet ! I was flirting with the idea of cleaning my art closet out while my son was at summer camp last week, and found a big piece of sand paper and this idea popped in my head. Sand paper make such a perfect cactus and since you are finger painting this is a wonderful craft for multi-age groups too.

Gather your materials. You will need some paper, sand paper, crayons or markers, scissors, glue and green paint.
Start by drawing a cactus on your sand paper.
Using the green paint finger paint your cactus. Talk about textures, how it feels, does your child like the way it feels?
Let dry. While it’s drying draw a sun with crayons or markers on your paper.
Cut the cactus out when dry.
Add glue.
Glue the cactus on!

Books About 5 Senses

my five senses

My Five Senses Big Book by Aliki is a great non fiction book about the 5 senses for toddlers and preschoolers. It’s simple but informative with clear pictures to help support the text . The author uses common things to help teach about the 5 senses like ice cream for taste, feeling a soft bunny for touch and hearing sirens. I like that is explains that sense can be used alone or all together and that the gift senses give us is awareness about the world around us.

five senses

Green Start: The Five Senses by IKids is a sweet book that focuses on the senses we use throughout our day as we explore our home and nature. Although the text covers all 5 senses it is not discussed overtly as ” And when you smell this you are using your sense of smell…” it’s a great little book to share with a toddler or young preschooler not ready for the more fact based non fiction books.

Look, Listen, Taste, Touch, and Smell: Learning About Your Five Sensesby Pamela Hill Nettleton is a really great find. The book doesn’t separate the senses, instead the author explains all the ways the senses work in specific situations. My son was intrigued by the ideas of smores and kept telling me “I want to smell and taste some smores Mommy, please!” I liked how it explained the connection between the areas of our bodies we associated with the senses ( mouth, eyes, nose, skin and ears) and the brain. The author succeeds in making it accessible for young kids but not boring for older ones. Good Find!!

Posted in 5 senses, Age 2-3 years, Age 3-5 years, Age Under 2 years, Cactus, Crafts, Sandpaper Activities, Sense of Touch, Sensory Activities, Texture Activities |

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Sandpaper Sun

June 4, 2010

sandpaper sun craft

There are so many opportunities for playing with textures with every day art supplies but rough is one that doesn’t come as easy, but it’s not impossible. Sandpaper is really fun to use for all sorts of things. Just remember that when you do a sensory art project that you need to be prepared for mess since the whole point is to touch and feel! My son had so much fun ( by fun I mean made a huge mess)with this that we ended up in the bath immediately after.

Gather your materials. You will need 2 sheets of sandpaper, some yellow and/or orange paint, a marker, a paint brush , scissors and glue.
Draw a circle on one of the sheets.
Cut the circle out, leave the other sheet whole, you will cut the rays into triangles later.
Start by letting your child feel the sand paper, some kids will recoil from it, some will love the texture and explore it with their finger tips and nails for a long time.
Next get the paint ready we wanted to use both colors since we were looking at pictures of the sun and I quote ” It’s not all yellow like I thought mommy!” so both colors were poured into a container for this project.
Start painting the circle. We started with a brush and the sound the bristles made were really interesting. However I didn’t even have time to get a photo of him using a brush on the circle, he went straight for finger painting.
Next he compared the rough paper to his smooth hands.
Pass them the full sheet when they are ready.
Remember that when you encourage finger painting, often a mess will follow, this is why you always use washable paint. These were not the only two hand prints on my table or his body, just the prettiest.
Set the circle and other sheet up to dry and get in the bath.
When dry ( ours took forever cause we had globs). Cut out the rays. If your child is willing have them cut, my son wanted NO part of cutting the sandpaper and I admit , I don’t enjoy cutting it either. I had shivers the whole time.
Add glue to the back of the circle.
Add your rays and let dry.