Texture Train

This is a great project! These trains make a beautiful bulletin board display if you can persuade kids to leave them at school.

Objectives

Children ages 5 and up can copy a model or design Cog. IIID
Children ages 5-6 can copy a linear pattern Cog. IIID
They can also count to 5 and answers “How many?” Cog. IIIC
and children ages 3-4 can use texture to describe an object Cog. I

Materials

Precut train forms cut from tinfoil; felt; cloth; sandpaper; cellophane; any materials of varying textures; large black paper; spaghetti; cotton balls; macaroni wheels; glue.
[See Illustration.]

Procedures

l. Give each child a piece of black paper and show them an example of the texture train. Have the materials laid out in piles in logical order at a separate table so the children can get what they need. The first car, cut in the shape of an engine, could be pre-glued on the left side of each paper to ensure left-to-right progression in the construction of the trains.

2. Have the glue on the table and make suggestions, e.g., "The cotton can be the smoke; the spaghetti can be the track." Ask them, "Which car feel rough, smooth? etc."

3. When trains are finished, have children count the cars of the train and describe the various textures.