[Nfb-krafters-korner] Hello from Dick!

[Annette Carr]

Hi Dick,

You are doing just fine with your nephew.  Having him take his cane with him
while he walks using sighted guide is just fine.  That is great that you are
encouraging him to use the cane to learn about his surroundings.  When you
are at home or out and about, you can encourage him to use it by setting up
the situation.  For example, let's say he is sitting on the couch and you
would like him to come over to where you are and there are boxes all over
the floor from some project you are working on.  Ask him to come over to you
to help you and suggest that he use his cane because there is a lot of stuff
in the way.  You can do this when you are out and about.  You can also
direct him to go over to an object that you would like him to see and
encourage him to use the cane to get there.  This can work in the store too.
In any of these situations, you want to be sure that he will be safe and
have a positive experience.  Keep in mind that having the cane touch things
along the way is what is supposed to happen.  I am always amazed at how many
people yell out to me that I am going to bump into something.  They just do
not get it that I have to touch it with my cane or some body part in order
to get around it.  Maybe some day we will have a can that can help use help
us keep a reasonable distance away from object so that we can glide around
them.  But then on the other hand, we would miss out on so many
environmental clues that help us navigate our environment as well as help us
build a picture of the world around us.

Another good activity is to talk about the activities you have done in the
past, i.e. earlier today, yesterday, last week, etc.  Have him describe what
he did, what did he hear, touch, smell, enjoy, dislike, etc.  You want to do
this in a conversational way.  You can ask questions such as, what was that
tree we were looking at last Sunday?  You looked like you were having fun
this afternoon on the swing, what did you enjoy about it?  Didn't the sun
and wind feel great today when we were...?  Of course he will at first give
you one word answers, but ask additional questions that encourage him to
describe his experience.  Have him describe to his mom and others what he
did.

You are doing a great job with your nephew, keep up the good times.

Have a great day.

Annette

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Dick Carlson
Sent: Friday, November 05, 2010 1:01 AM
To: List for blind crafters and artists
Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Hello from Dick!

Hey everyone,

Gosh, it's been a couple of weeks or so since I've written, hasn't it?  Much
has happened, including a very bad cold that I've had for a good week plus.
It's been a very bad flu season around here, and not only did I get sick,
but my young nephew Willy got sick afterwards.  Needless to say, we've not
been able to do a lot in the past few weeks.

Anyway, this past weekend, we had a fantastic week!  I'm able to spend more
time with him now that I'm no longer sick.  And...the first thing he asked
me about doing was to work on that picture.  He calls the collage a picture,
and you know, that's what it is.

So, this past Sunday, we had a day that was really good.

We began by going to the park.  Willy sure loves that park.  He loves to
swing, so he swung for a while.  We also just went for a little bit of a
walk while at the park, and that was fantastic.

Will wasn't very sure about taking his cane.  I asked if he wanted to take
it and he said he really didn't because he really doesn't know how to use
it.  I told him to take it along anyway and if he wanted to use it, he
could.  Is that good?  And, is it OK to just let him hold my arm when we
walk?  I don't know how much to have him use his cane by himself if he
doesn't know a lot about it.  I know how it should work but don't know how
much to make him walk without me.   He used it some to feel how high things
were and where things were located though, and I thought that was good!  

I then went with Will to a store where we could get something for his
"Picture." :-)  We got little stones, beads, etc.  It was kind of fun
because we even chose a few small pieces of things I'd not thought about.  

We then went back home and he was fascinated by the sounds of airplanes we
heard.  And, that gave me an idea.  Willy and I made a paper airplane.  I
was telling him how we used to make them when I was a kid.  He loved it.  I
don't think he totally got the grasp of it, but that was fine.  He enjoyed
it.

We finally worked some on the collage.  Tomorrow, I don't work and we're
going to add to the picture.  That's going a lot better.  He's picking out
the material or paper or fabric and is choosing places where he thinks they
can go.  That's great, huh?

This collage idea was a great one!!  He's beginning to swee what can be
done.

Dick

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