Sensory Box
Hands-on, tactile, educational resources with a strong focus on Education for Sustainable Development
Curriculum Aligned
Recommended for Junior Infants to Second Class
Featured Products
This classroom natural fibres box is focused on exploration, wellbeing, sustainability and creativity through cross-curricular activities with natural fibres.
They require minimal preparation and there is no prior knowledge of natural fibres required. Everything you need is in the box.
1 Classroom Box Includes:
10 Natural Fibres: Flax, Hemp, Wool, Camel Hair, Yak Hair, Kapok, Ramie, Wool Flock, Alpaca and Cotton
4 x Sets of Activity Cards: Teaching Prompts, Creative Cards, Experiment Cards and Fibre Matching Cards
1 Printed Teacher’s Guide with maps and worksheets
5 x Natural Earth Paints in red, orange, yellow, green and blue (total 1 litre)
1 x Magnifying Glass
1 x Linen Fabric Sample
1 x Packet of Flax Seeds (approx. 300 seeds)
Please see below for Terms of Business, Shipping and Returns.
These wool off-cuts come from Irish woollen mills and are ideal for fabric and fibre activities. Each box weighs approximately 1kg - plenty for a classroom to make lots of beautiful artwork and crafts. Subject to availability, we strive to have a selection of colours.
Please see below for Terms of Business, Shipping and Returns.
This refill box contains a re-stock of all the natural fibres found in the classroom Fantastic Fibres box - alpaca, cotton, wool flock, sheep wool, kapok, flax, ramie, camel, hemp & yak.
Please see below for Terms of Business, Shipping and Returns.
Fantastic Fibres is a learning resource that inspires children to explore, create and care.
Natural fibres provide rich, sensory experiences while introducing children to materials they may not encounter in everyday life. The Fantastic Fibres Sensory Box provides a classroom experience that supports hands-on, playful learning with natural fibres, while encouraging curiosity, language development, early scientific thinking and care for the environment.
It is presented to children through simple, age appropriate, enjoyable activities that grow with your class. From sensory exploration and fibre identification for younger learners to more independent investigation and experimentation for those further along; there are a range of activities that will support Junior Infants through to Second Class.
Through the exploration of natural fibres, children begin to understand that materials that come from the natural world should be cared for, reused and recycled.
Each Fantastic Fibres Sensory Box is intended for use in one classroom and contains a selection of ten natural fibres for children to touch, feel and explore along with a comprehensive teaching guide and a wealth of activities that support the new Irish Primary Curriculum, including STEM activities, Visual Art and Teaching Prompts for classroom discussion. The box also contains exploration tools and activity essentials to enhance the Fantastic Fibres classroom experience. We recommend that your box is allocated to a class between Junior Infants and Second Class where it can be enjoyed and used to its full potential. Refill boxes containing extra natural fibres are available for use in additional classrooms.
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A comprehensive teacher's guide to assist with the delivery of the resource and provide additional information about the fibres.
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Natural Fibres: A selection of natural fibres locally sourced where possible: flax, hemp, kapok, wool, ramie, alpaca wool, camel hair, yak hair, wool flock and cotton.
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Teaching prompts for classroom discussions about natural fibres, their properties, origins, uses and sustainability.
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Fibre matching cards are used for matching real fibre samples to their origin and include some classroom games and warm-up activities.
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Creative cards utilise natural fibres in arts and craft activities, supporting the fabric and fibre strand of the curriculum.
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Natural Earth Paint powders - just add water and you have 1 litre of ethical paint to use with your fibres for creative activities and experiments.
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World Maps in A4, including a blank map for children to explore the origins of natural fibres.
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A wooden magnifying glass.
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Over a dozen worksheets suitable from Junior Infants up to Second Class.
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A packet of flax seeds.
Measurable, Curriculum-Linked Outcomes
Fantastic Fibres has been developed for Junior Infants to Second Class and is fully aligned with the Irish Primary Curriculum, with clear, measurable learning outcomes.
See our Curriculum connections below…
Curriculum Connections
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The sensory and tactile nature of fibre exploration can:
Support emotional regulation through hands-on, calming activities
Promote a sense of belonging and participation
Reduce anxiety through repetitive, calming actions
Build confidence through exploration and creative achievement.
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The SEE specification encourages children to learn as geographers and as historians, developing curiosity, critical thinking and a sense of connection to the world around them. Fantastic Fibres supports this through hands-on investigation of natural materials sourced from across the world, encouraging children to ask questions, make observations and draw conclusions.
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The five themed question sets, from sensory responses right through to sustainability and Irish context, are structured to gradually deepen thinking, moving from personal and concrete observations towards more abstract and global ideas. This mirrors the SEE specification's emphasis on a balance between teacher-guided and child-led dialogue, where the teacher's role is to facilitate and extend thinking rather than direct it.
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Science - Materials & Sustainability
Children investigate the physical properties of natural fibres, developing early scientific vocabulary and observational skills.
The resource introduces the concept of renewable vs non-renewable materials, supporting learning around environmental responsibility.
Wool flock provides a concrete example of circular economics.
Technology and Engineering
Processing stages (retting, scutching, spinning) introduce children to how raw materials are transformed through technology - from ancient hand tools to modern machinery.
Creative cards invite children to design and make with fibres, developing problem-solving and making skills.
Mathematics
Comparing and measuring fibre lengths and weights
Sorting and classifying by multiple criteria (texture, origin, plant or animal)
The experiment card introduces volume and density in an engaging, hands-on way.
Procedural language supports early mathematical communication.
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The Creative Cards in the Fantastic Fibres box connect directly to the Making and Responding strand of the new Visual Arts curriculum. Children don't just observe fibres - they use them as a medium for creative expression. Activities such as fibre stamping, weaving and collage encourage children to explore texture, pattern and material properties, and to reflect on their process and outcomes.
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The rich vocabulary of natural fibres, from descriptive words like smooth, coarse, bouncy and cooling, to process words like retting, carding and spinning, gives children meaningful, contextualised language to acquire and use. The teaching prompt cards, discussion questions and worksheets support oral language development, comparative vocabulary and early descriptive and instructional writing.
Supporting Neurodiversity & Inclusion
The Fantastic Fibres Sensory Box is designed to be flexible, inclusive and accessible for all learners, valuing a strengths-based approach that supports different ways of thinking and creating.
For Autism & Sensory Sensitivities
Nervous system regulation through tactile input
Non-verbal creative expression
No wrong way to take part
Can go at their own pace
For ADHD
Hands-on engagement sustains attention
Multi-sensory input supports focus
Encourages movement with manipulation of fibres
Quick to start, no long/complicated instructions
For PDA (Persistent Drive for Autonomy)
Child led activities
Invitation to explore the fibres rather than instruct
No pressure to “finish”
Open-ended play and exploration lowers demand-related anxiety.
For Fine Motor Challenges
Low pressure motor skill development
Improves control and precision at their own pace
Develops finger coordination
Encourages bilateral hand use
A resource supporting Sustainability
Fantastic Fibres is an Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) led resource for Infant and Junior Primary level, supporting all three pillars of ESD: Environmental, Social and Economic.
Wellbeing is woven throughout, with the tactile, sensory activities offering calm, grounding experiences that support emotional regulation and connection to the natural world.
Fantastic Fibres supports the Sustainable Development Goals
