Have you exhausted all the board games in your house? Are you itching for an excuse to wander the neighborhood? This game is the perfect solution! Collect natural materials from your surroundings, and then challenge yourself and others to find all the matching pairs while blindfolded. You’ll stimulate your memory and problem–solving skills as well as your fine motor skills.  

1. Grab a bag, and hit your neighborhood streets. Collect a variety of different sized and textured materials. You will need two or three of each item, depending if you want to match pairs or triplets. Remember, you will be trying to match the materials while blindfolded, so it’s all about finding differences in touch, not sight.  

2. Spread your materials out across a flat surface, and mix them up.  

3. Put on a blindfold. Using your sense of touch, find each pair (or triplet if you collected three of each material), and set it off to the side. Continue until you have found all pairs (or triplets).

4. If you want to get competitive, time each person as they match, or divide your materials in half for a head–to–head challenge!  

About the Author

Emily Kless is Education Programs Assistant for Naples Botanical Garden. Emily is always excited by the opportunity to learn. Outside of the Garden, you can find Emily and her service dog, Clementine, hiking the region’s various trails (and sometimes forging their own) to admire native plants and birds.