Developing the sense of touch

I wanted to hug the woman I saw in the supermarket, with her small child in the cart. She was showing him the things she bought, and keeping up a running commentary. She showed him an eggplant and talked about the color, than had him touch the skin of it. Remember that odd feeling? Think of all the sensory experiences in the supermarket: eggplant, peaches, pineapple leaves...

Some time ago, I posted about using colored rice in a sand table or large tub for a winter day at the beach (rice definitely picks up more easily than sand). A related activity is to have a smaller container if appropriate for the item, and frequently give your child different things to feel and play with (using cups, scoops, funnels, etc), such as gravel,cornmeal, different types of dried beans,oat groats,popcorn kernels, cotton balls, noodles, birdseed, unsalted sunflower seeds in shells,and many other things. Try looking in the bulk food bins at your supermarket; if the item is mean to be cooked and eaten, then rinsing it off and boiling and eating it after it's used (with close supervision) for play will mean you get double mileage from it! As with any activity using small objects, supervise your child carefully until he is past the age of tasting or swallowing random things.
If you're into sewing, you can make simple shapes---square, rectangle, circle, triangle, or other shapes, from wildly different types of fabric--velvet, terrycloth, burlap, etc., and either stuff them with cotton balls or rags or make them into beanbags.
For a different sensory experience, try mixing 1 part water to 3 parts cornstarch. Add a few drops of food coloring if you like. This is truly weird to the touch and makes what is called "slime" or "oobleck". You can read Bartholomew and the Oobleck by Dr. Seuss and color your stuff green!