Thursday, December 13, 2012

Sensory Trees

This year during the weeks before our holiday break, I decided to do a textured tree.  The idea popped into my ADD brain one afternoon.  I shredded green computer paper in my crosscut shredder and used the paper as pine needles on the pre-drawn pine tree shapes.  I drew the tree on poster board cut into four pieces. The first step is to spread glue to cover the entire tree. Don't be stingy.  The next step is to sprinkle the paper pine needles all over the tree, then pat them down.   Shake all of the excess needles back into the container.  If there aren't enough, continue to add more to fill in empty spaces.  
Sprinkling methods 1. Place the paper on your hand and have the student knock it onto the tree. 2.  Have the student pinch the paper and sprinkle. 3.  Use an extra large spice container with a big opening.  


After the tree is green, you can add ornaments.  I used the many left overs that I had from my time in a classroom.  You could add string, or other materials.  

If you have a student who is blind, you may want to mark the lines with hot glue.  This will help if the student uses her finger to spread the glue inside the lines.