Mystery Box

Guess the object just using your sense of touch!

Children’s bodies are undergoing constant change. By getting to know their own bodies better, these changes can be less mysterious. Children who are in tune with their own bodies can use all of their senses as tools as they explore and try to understand the world around them. This activity helps children learn more about their sense of touch, along with properties of objects, observation and descriptive vocabulary.

Preparation

Using the following instructions, make at least 1 Mystery Box ahead of time. In the side of a large cardboard box, cut a hole big enough for your students to stick their hands through. Inside the box, tape, glue or staple a piece of fabric over the hole, creating a “curtain”. Only tape, glue or staple the top of the curtain—you want kids to be able to push it aside as they reach their hands into the box. If you have the resources, make several boxes, 1 for each team. Smaller boxes (like shoe boxes) and smaller objects can be used if you’re making many boxes. If you’re making only 1 large box, you could create 4 holes, 1 on each side, so that more than 1 child can reach in at the same time. Collect several objects for placing in the box. Make them things that your students are familiar with – a glove, a shoelace, a crayon, an apple, a rock, etc.

Suggested Materials

One or more cardboard boxes
Scrap pieces of fabric
Glue
Exacto knife or scissors
Miscellaneous objects (see Preparation)

Optional Materials

Blindfold
Cloth bag
Paint, markers

Opening Discussion

Ask your students what it might be like to feel their way through the dark. How could they tell where they are? Have they ever tried finding a light switch in the dark? Was it easy or hard to do?

The Challenge

Figure out what is hiding in the “Box of Mystery” just by using your sense of touch!

Doing the Activity

If you have made enough boxes for each team, hand them out (if you have only 1 box, you can have students take turns guessing what you have placed in it).
Divide your students into teams of 2 or 3.
One person in each team will be the “Guesser”, and should close their eyes or wear a blindfold.
Once the Guessers are all ready with their eyes closed or blindfolds on, hand random objects out to the other team members to place in the boxes. They should place one object at a time into the boxes.
Once the object is in the Mystery Box, the other team members should help the Guesser guide their hand into the box and feel around. Ask them to guess what it is they are feeling. Once they have guessed, they can open their eyes and remove the object to look at it.

Let’s Talk About It

After 5–10 minutes of activity, when every team has had a student guess an object, bring them together to share their observations with each other. Was it easy or hard to guess what their object was? Were some objects harder to figure out than others? This discussion should last no more than a few minutes.

Build On What They Talked About

Give every child a chance to guess what’s in the Mystery Box (make sure to hand out new objects for each new Guesser).

Suggestions

Have kids pick their own objects from around the room to have the Guessers feel.
You can decorate these Mystery Boxes to add to the atmosphere of the activity.
You might allow the Guessers to ask questions of their teammates about the object they are feeling. Make them yes or no questions – this will force the Guessers to use descriptive words and to be thoughtful in phrasing their questions. You can also limit them to 1 or 2 questions, or let them keep asking. This option is particularly good for younger students trying this activity.
Play a guessing game – place several objects in the box. Have 1 child choose 1 of the objects (they should know everything that is in the box), then have the second child reach in the box and ask questions of the first child in an attempt to guess what it is they picked. Questions like “Is it smooth?”, “Is it round”, “Is it heavy”, will help to narrow down the choices. When the student who is feeling around in the box thinks they know which object the other student chose, have them guess what it is, then pull it out to see if they were right. This activity is great for focusing children on observation of properties and descriptive vocabulary.