When crayons become worn down and your kindergartners lose interest, find a new use for them. A project, such as crayon rubbings, gives them a lesson in texture and makes the crayons the center of arts and crafts again. Gather an assortment of flat items with a raised surface, such as coins or decorative buttons. Explain to your students how to place the object underneath a piece of paper, then rub on the paper with the side of a crayon for an instant lesson in texture.
Literally shake up your painting routine by mixing sand into finger paint or squeeze containers that students can shake and use to paint on paper. If added to finger paint, students will explore what it is like to create with a textured medium. Otherwise, when the paint dries, encourage your students to feel the paint, noting the contrast between it and smooth paintings.
While it may be difficult to convince kindergartners to eat their beans, there are few who will resist playing with them. Gather an assortment of beans of different sizes and colors. Then, armed with glue and paper, instruct your students to use the beans as materials to create a bean mosaic. When dry, encourage students to touch the patterns they created.
Few kids can resist mixing dough colors, much to the chagrin of many adults. When it’s time to replace your supply of dough, create a little texture experiment before you get a fresh batch. Have your children roll the old dough into balls and create a well in the center. Place a tablespoon or two of rice in the well and have children roll and manipulate the dough. As they work with the clay, the rice will add a new texture and dimension for creating pieces.