These Sensory Bean Bags are based on the same idea as the Fabric Box. My thinking was that bean bags would be more versatile and with some weight to them be more appealing to my children. 

I made them using fabric from around the house, scraps and old or torn clothing and linens. Unfortunately I couldn't find silk or wool but it would be nice to add them to this collection. Each fabric and therefore each bean bag has a distinctly different texture so the selection of fabrics here is important. 

Otis preferred to match them visually although he loved feeling them and brushing them against his face. Using these demonstrated Otis's strong need for order, he loved getting them out and putting them away more than anything. 

Caspar's response was a little more interesting. We put one set in a basket and the other in the mystery bag. Caspar selected one bag from the basket and without looking (using touch only) found the matching bag. 

This activity could be presented with the child using a blindfold (as the Fabric Box often is). If using a blindfold or the mystery bag with Otis I would start with three bags only and use those with the greatest contrast in texture. This was a really affordable activity to make. I used materials from around the house and the sewing was straight forward. These bean bags are now sitting on a shelf in the study. A nice reminder to me to DIY materials more often.