University of Maine Cooperative Extension   4-H Earth Connections "Creating Sustainable Communities for the 21st Century"
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AGE LEVEL = 8-10 (5-11) DURATION = 20-30 min. LEARNING STATION = Anywhere RELATED ACTIVITY = ←→ Envirolopes WHEN =

UNDERSTANDING: Nature provides many different and contrasting textures.

SPECIAL NOTES: For young children, read the contrasting word or ask them to give you examples. This is a good “filler” activity. Try it between learning stations.

MATERIALS:
For each team:

• A 12-section egg carton

• Small piece of paper

• Crayon or pencil

PREPARATION: Be prepared to offer a few suggestions on contrasting texture or the way an object can feel: dry and wet, soft and hard, hairy and naked, smooth and rough, cold and warm, sticky and dry.

LESSON:

Warm-up: Divide the group into teams of two or three. Give each team an egg carton, a small piece of paper and a crayon or pencil. Have them write down a pair of contrasting textures. Provide them with a few examples, if needed.

Activity: Have each team collect six small objects that can be described by one of the words and six that can be described by the contrasting word. All objects should fit into the egg carton. Instruct the teams to keep the identity of their words secret.

Wrap-up: After collecting the objects, have the teams gather in a sharing circle. Have them pass their cartons one team to their right. After examining the objects by sight, touch, and possibly by smell, have each team guess the contrasting words. The cartons can be passed as time and energy permit.

OPTIONS AND FURTHER EXPLORATIONS:

1. This is a good indoor rainy day activity if many objects are gathered ahead of time for the children to select from.

2. Have the children feel the objects not only with the fingers, but with other body parts, such as the cheeks, wrists and necks. The same object will feel warmer or colder depending on where it’s placed, a result of different nerve endings in different body parts.

3. This activity can be a good lead-in to a general discussion of patterns in nature.

4. For older children, have them write down two or more pairs of contrasting textures, and then find objects for each pair.