Ask Ollie
Monster Mystery Touch Box
Here's one to try together!
Reach into the spooky box and feel a monster's squishy secrets! What could it be?
Reviewed by our team.
Safety first
- whole grapes are a choking risk for children under 4: halve them for little ones, and they are for touching only, not eating
- pasta contains wheat (allergen)
- cutting the box hole requires a sharp tool; adult only
What you need
- Cardboard box, 1
- Pasta, 1 cup, cooked and cooled
- Water, enough to fill the glove and dampen the sponge
- Grapes, 2 or 3
- Bowl, 4
- Sponge, 1
- Plastic glove, 1
- Towel, 1
- Painter's tape, a few pieces
- Knife, 1 sharp, grown-up only
How to do it
Grown-up prep: Cut a hole big enough for a hand in the box with a sharp tool (grown-up job). Gather the mystery items and keep them hidden from the kids until their turn.
- Look at the box. This is where the monster hides!
- Take turns choosing who reaches in first.
- Close your eyes or look away while a grown-up hides the first item.
- Reach through the hole and gently feel the mystery item. Ask: Is it hard, soft, wiggly, or slimy?
- Describe how it feels, using lots of silly words.
- Make your guess about what it really is. Ask: What is your best guess? Why do you think that?
- Peek inside and reveal the answer together!
- Next, try the grape eyeballs, the sponge brain and the water glove hand.
- Now show your friends, or make a new box! What other monster parts could you hide? Ask: What gross or silly thing would you hide for someone else?
Play it again
- Guess the monster: hide a whole set of parts and guess which monster they make.
- Silent turn: describe the feel with sounds and faces only, no words.
- Family swap: kids hide items for grown-ups to guess.
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