Six of One, Half Dozen of Another

Use your senses to find and classify contrasting objects
Age 6+ ~30min

This is a great activity for developing observation skills and helping your child appreciate the natural world in a fun and engaging way. To start, you’ll need an empty egg carton or a similar container with multiple small compartments.

Give the kids a pair of opposite words and challenge them to find objects that match each descriptive word, placing them in the container. For example, they might collect six objects that are “wet” and six different objects that are “dry.” Other pairs of opposite words to search for include:

• Light and dark

• Living and nonliving

• Edible and not-edible

• Rough and smooth

• Sharp and dull

• Warm colors and cool colors

• Symmetrical and asymmetrical

Before they start collecting, introduce them to the "Rule of 10": If there are more than 10 of an object, they can pick it; otherwise, they should leave it for others to enjoy.

If doing this activity with a larger group, set clear boundaries before sending them off. Watch as the kids explore new areas and notice things they may not have seen before! Depending on the group size, you can do this activity as one team or break into smaller teams. Afterward, share findings and try to guess the descriptive opposite words.

This activity can also be easily extended in many creative ways!

Try different pairs of opposite words, set time limits or different boundaries for where kids go, write a story using the opposite words and all the objects that were collected, sort the objects into smaller groups based on different characteristics, or create an art piece using all of the objects. You could also choose to look for items inside your house that are opposites.

The possibilities are endless!