Sponge Bob Square Pants reinvents the Fabric Box!!

There are some Montessori materials which hardly get any attention from the children. I mentioned to you the Geometric Solids and what I did to remedy this problem (see the post here). I had the same dilemna with our Fabric box.

The Fabric box belong to the Montessori sensorial materials. The Fabric box contains a selection of different fabrics: silk, cotton, wool, linen etc... all cut to exactly the same size. There are 2 swatches of each of the fabrics for pairing. Tge fabrics are laid on the table and are mixed. The child closes his eyes, is given one fabric, holds it with 2 hands at the edge and feels the texture between the index finger and the thumb. The child needs to pair each fabric with his eyes closed. This is a great exercise to develop the child's language but also to stimulate his interest in texture in the environment. However, the children haven't shown much interest in the Fabric Box this year. I have never used a blindfold before and I  thought that the use of one might become a point of interest for the children. I suddenly remembered that my daughter Nel had a "Sponge Bob Square Pants" night blindfold and I went to get it... Well, MY OH MY!... They have now to wait for their turns to have a go at the Fabric Box..... It was such a simple change, so basic, so easy. Why didn't I think of it before?????