This week’s Unplug your Kids challenge was Rough. We had made texture boards before, but they were hard to store. I decided now was a good time to resize them to fit into a shoe box.
I picked a box that was about three times as long as it was deep. That meant we could fit about three texture boards in the lid.
Then we used some wax crayons to rub over paper cut to fit into the lid.
Jaylene liked to color the center of each board, then flip them around and add a ring in a different color, then change the order, add new ones in and make another ring, and so on. She ended up with a rainbow of different textures. Jayden likes playing with just the boards. I like that they all fit into the box and store away neatly.
Here are some ideas of things to put on the boards:
tiny seed beads
brads/paper fasteners
chenille sticks
buttons
hot glue gun swirls
sand paper
netting
coins
embossed papers
craft/popscicle sticks
corgugated cardboard
sequin waste
velcro tabs
Can you think of some more? We’ve got some empty boards we could fill up.
51 comments
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August 4, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Karen
Love this idea!
August 4, 2008 at 10:18 pm
Heather T.
You are amazing! What a fabulous idea!!
August 4, 2008 at 10:22 pm
jennifer w.
Love this idea so much!!
August 4, 2008 at 10:39 pm
shan
love your texture boards i might have to make some up thanks for the idea! we did texture rubbings to from my activity in a bag swap!
August 4, 2008 at 10:40 pm
shan
what about a twig or a piece or bark or take apart a pine cone
August 4, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Heather
I absolutly love this idea. I am so going to have to make these. thanks for sharing them.
August 5, 2008 at 12:15 am
Robyn
I love this. Very good idea.
August 5, 2008 at 2:44 am
piseco
Oh, me too! I love this idea to store and use them right in the shoebox. That’s wonderful!
I second Shan’s idea about pine cones – did you see Nature Mama’s pine cone owls today?
I also find myself with extra keys, and they are fun to rub – or the fake credit cards that come in junk mail are sometimes embossed and fun to rub over. How about tree bark, rice, paper clips, sandpaper or crumpled aluminum foil?
August 5, 2008 at 4:39 am
Emily White
What a cute idea! I’m definitely going to do these with my girls. I love that it’s something to keep and play with over and over again.
August 5, 2008 at 6:53 am
teacing tinytots
i forgot to ask when i posted about the pinecones did you just use corregated cardboard to make them
how about old dried playdoh or rick rack too?
August 5, 2008 at 6:54 am
teaching tinytots
i forgot to ask when i posted about the pinecones did you just use corregated cardboard to make them
how about old dried playdoh or rick rack too? or foam letters to spell their name
August 5, 2008 at 11:52 am
Ashley
This is a GREAT project! So creative of you. We are definitely going to make one.
August 5, 2008 at 3:39 pm
Nature Mama
That is such a cool idea!! I’ve never seen anything like this before. I’m gearing up for pre-preschool stuff with my toddler and this is definitely going to be on my to make list 🙂 I’ll have to enlist the older two in the making process. They’re going to love it 🙂
August 5, 2008 at 9:40 pm
mayaluna
I love everything about these little boards: the process the product and the great little storage of them all. So beautifully done, Julie!!
August 5, 2008 at 9:49 pm
Sherry
Great idea!
I commented on the Flat Jaylene post and you sent an e-mail requesting that I send my address and I have misplaced your e-mail. Please re-send.
Thanks!
Sherry
August 6, 2008 at 7:23 am
Beka
Brilliant storage idea!!
August 6, 2008 at 7:30 am
Cam
Die cuts, buttons, lace, punch different shapes in CS, embossed ink images, coins……..
August 6, 2008 at 11:49 am
katy
this is GENIUS!!
August 7, 2008 at 1:35 am
Lisa
Brilliant! I have always found that gets get frustrated when the paper and objects slide all around. This will solve that problem. Definitely going on my to-do list!
August 7, 2008 at 2:33 am
Michie
This is really cute – it is neat that you can use them and store them in the box. I’m a special education teacher and this might be a cute project for my classroom. 🙂
August 7, 2008 at 1:45 pm
katy
you are a winner. 2 headbands coming your way! just need your address.
August 8, 2008 at 12:40 am
Hagit
Fantastic!
August 11, 2008 at 8:47 am
Meg
Wow. So cool.
August 11, 2008 at 1:52 pm
Kristin Doyle
Wow, really great idea and reusable!
August 11, 2008 at 8:44 pm
N.
what an awesome idea! I’m going to try my hand at those.
August 17, 2008 at 8:47 am
Judy R
I’m saving your idea for when our baby is older!
Some other textures:
bath tub no-skid stickers – especially in cute shapes
tulle
paper clips
match sticks (with the tip off)
faux crocodile
burlap
August 31, 2008 at 4:08 am
Ann
Great project!
Other textures:
lace scraps (decorative lace, not shoelace lace)
crochet snowflakes (or if you crochet, make some shapes with a small hook and thread of your choice)
snakeskin, alligator, ostrich, and other exotic textured or embossed leathers (ask me if you have no idea where to find small bits of these)
small feathers, or chunk of large feather (found on the grass, and by the pond. or purchase at craft store)
tiny pasta: alphabet letters (for alphabet soup), pastina, orzo
oatmeal
rice, barley, small lentils
visit your nearest Sycamore tree for thin pieces of finely textured shed bark
textured contac paper or shelf lining
January 14, 2009 at 7:05 pm
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June 20, 2011 at 10:59 pm
Cheryl Golangco
I love this idea! It gives kids the freedom to explore! …not only with the textures but with art as well! THank you for sharing! 🙂
June 21, 2011 at 2:01 am
Tammy
Twigs, old keys
June 21, 2011 at 6:02 am
Leeanne A
I love this – great variety of items. I made texture boards which the kids love – they are not that big and store easily – they are made out of small bread boards. http://kreativeactivities.blogspot.com/2011/05/texture-boards.html
August 22, 2011 at 9:05 pm
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October 12, 2011 at 10:57 pm
Katie
What about bird seed! and that could maybe lead into the “craft” of the pine cone covered in peanutbutter & rolled in bird seed to hang in trees in the winter time! and another idea, take old pieces of crayons, glue them all to a top edge of the board with a hot glue gun, take a hair dryer to it and hold it with the crayon border to the top, they melt almost instantly and will run down the board, let them dry and they are textured, not to mention a beautiful way to get rid of old crayon pieces!
November 18, 2011 at 7:16 am
Jen
It’s a wonderful idea and I’d love to try it, but what did you use for glue? Hot glue would work for some stuff, but would be too messy or hot for other stuff.
February 15, 2012 at 5:01 am
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July 26, 2012 at 8:12 pm
lKRU34lqapg
tono della pelle
January 5, 2013 at 12:38 pm
Emilie (Edwards) Brown
– sandpaper
– glass stones (w/ smooth edges)
– fuzzy socks
– Mesh fabric
– Cork board
January 28, 2013 at 8:19 am
Crystal Gulbranson
What about fake fur, balloons (not blown up of course), and different ribbons. I am definitely gunna do this. But I am gunna do something a little different. My daughter is gunna be four at the end of september and she already knows colors, body parts, some animals, and her alphabet and numbers. I have a son that just turned 4 months and he is starting to touch things and I think that this box would be a great ways to teach both of them about textures and I will add other stuff so I can teach my son about other things.
March 7, 2013 at 12:20 pm
Lynn
Wiki stocks could create a swirly or curly-que design. Pennies
June 9, 2013 at 1:44 am
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August 3, 2013 at 11:28 pm
mildredge.cuisineblog.fr
Nice post. I was checking continuously this blog and I’m impressed! Very helpful information particularly the last part 🙂 I care for such information a lot. I was looking for this certain information for a very long time. Thank you and good luck.
August 14, 2013 at 2:20 pm
Anna
I’ve pinned this on pinterest to use for my daughter who is legally blind. Feeling the textures will be great therapy to get her fingers sensitive enough to read Braille. I love how they are stored neatly.
July 3, 2014 at 1:16 pm
Susan
Wide wale cordoroy, cork, imitation or real fur, feathers
January 27, 2015 at 11:34 pm
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February 12, 2015 at 11:00 pm
ErnestoHicy
Sushi md
February 14, 2015 at 7:53 am
lisag
Wow awesome idea. I am going to make two of these for for work, they will be very popular.
March 23, 2015 at 9:04 pm
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August 23, 2015 at 9:30 pm
pmrcmcv
Great idea. Could use various bits of cloth with different textures eg fur as mentioned, fleece, silk, satin, textured material, lace, crochet with different stitches. Cut cardboard into different shapes so feel the shapes as well as see them. Green and steel pot cleaners, netting stuff used to make body buff things (you know what I mean), aluminium foil smooth and scrunched up and with string making shapes underneath it, artificial grass as in used for mats etc, part of a woven basket, flipflop material, a row of pencils or old biros fixed down so big ridges, salt glued down (probably softer than sand paper). I will keep thinking and definitely make some.. Thank you