[Nfb-krafters-korner] You're full of great ideas!

Mon Jun 27 13:24:15 UTC 2011

Yes, the NFB sells alphabet blocks with both Braille and print on the same blocks. 
Lorraine Rovig

-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Denise Shaible
Sent: Thursday, June 16, 2011 1:07 AM
To: List for blind crafters and artists
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] You're full of great ideas!

I have to agree with you, Joyce.  This year will be my third National but 
the first one  was the best.  I went with the Louisiana Center for the Blind 
in 2009 to Detroit.  I learned so much about the things the NFB is doing. 
Yes, Willie and his mom would definitely notice how confident blind youth 
and adults act.  I think it would help Willie to be okay with his cane, too 
because he would see so many people with canes.  I hope they can go next 
year to Dallas or even when it's in Orlando again.  That's right, Mickey 
Mouse is there.

Regards,

Denise

-----Original Message----- 
From: Blindhands at aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 5:45 PM
To: nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] You're full of great ideas!

Going to NFB Convention in Dallas next year would really give Mom, Willie
and you a totally different attitude about the capability  of a blind
child/teenager/adult

The following year it will be back in Florida and I am sure you all would
have fun meeting Mickey Mouse.

Joyce  Kane
_www.KraftersKorner.org_ (http://www.krafterskorner.org/)
Blindhands at AOL.com

In a message dated 6/15/2011 8:34:47 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time,
dick.carlson0428 at earthlink.net writes:

Excellent idea.  I've been reading the literature as it  is.  Thanks!

-----Original Message-----
From:  nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org]  On Behalf Of Annette Carr
Sent: Wednesday, June 15, 2011 2:12 AM
To:  'List for blind crafters and artists'
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner]  You're full of great ideas!

Dick,

In addition to getting  involved with your local NFB Chapter, maybe next
summer you, Willy and his  immediate family can plan on attending the
National NFB Convention.   Just some food for thought.

Annette

-----Original  Message-----
From:  nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org]  On Behalf Of Denise Shaible
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 9:41 PM
To:  List for blind crafters and artists
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner]  You're full of great ideas!

Wow, this is great.  dick,  I  love the way you challenged Willie to use his
cane.  Mixed messages  can really hurt in the long run.  I'm so blown away
by
the way you  work and play with Willie.  Also, I read the post about blocks
and I  think that's a great idea.  I think there are some with Braille  on
them but if anyone knows definitely about that, maybe you can let Dick
know.

Legos are fun, too but I've noticed in buying them for my nephews  that they
are more advanced that when I was a child.  As a child, I  played a lot with
Play Dough.  that may be fun for Willie but I don't  know.

Okay, I just read the posts and had to respond.  Keep up the  good work and
the updates.  It's a blessing to hear about all Willie  and you are doing.
I
don't know if this would be possible but maybe  in the future, willie might
like to attend an NFB event.  They always  have fun activities for
children.
Also, if he gets very good in Braille,  there's a Braille Readers are
Leaders
contest that really helps children  and adults to get into Braille.

Have a nice day and a nice  summer.

Regards,

Denise
-----Original Message-----
From:  Dixie
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 5:56 PM
To: 'List for blind crafters  and artists'
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] You're full of great  ideas!

Or the game Jenga!  That is the game of a tower of  blocks.  The goal is to
slide out blocks without the tower toppling  over.

-----Original Message-----
From:  nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org]  On Behalf Of Annette Carr
Sent: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 8:11 PM
To: 'List  for blind crafters and artists'
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] You're  full of great ideas!

Hi Dick,

I love hearing how Willy is doing,  so keep the updates coming.

Off of the top of my head I do not have any  suggestions for your summer
"big
messy" projects, but I did want to offer  some ideas about the sliding
puzzle
pieces.

Are you familiar with  the rubber shelf liner material?  It is bumpy.
Assemble the puzzle  pieces on a piece of the shelf liner.

Glue the shelf liner material on  the back of the puzzle pieces.  If they
still slide around, then  assemble these rubber-backed pieces on another
piece of shelf  liner.

Add a strip of sticky-backed magnetic tape to the back of the  puzzle pieces
and then assemble the puzzle on a metal  surface.

As far as working with blocks, show Willy how to build a  pyramid.  This
will
not fall over as easy as he learns how to gently  touch things.

Starting out with bigger blocks and working toward  smaller blocks.

Work on building towers of blocks.  Start with 3  rectangles next to one
another.  Place a second layer of 3 rectangles  on top of the first but
laying perpendicular.  Keep adding layers that  alternate the direction of
the blocks.  See how high you can make the  tower.

There is always  Legos!

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: Tuesday, June 14, 2011 4:44 AM
To: 'List  for blind crafters and artists'
Subject: [Nfb-krafters-korner] You're full  of great ideas!

Hello everyone,

I sure hope all of you  are doing well.  It's been a couple of weeks since
I've written, but  that's OK.  We've been busy.  I've been working and
Willy's been  finishing up school.  He's out for the summer in a couple of
days, and  that's great.

Luckily, he won't be idle this summer because he  will be taking a few
classes to work on things like his Braille and some  other things I can't
remember right now.  We're also working out a  schedule and at some point,
we'll go visit his grandparents for a  bit.

This past weekend was so bright and sunny that we spent  plenty of time
outside.  We go to his favorite park and take walks all  the time, but I
kind
of had to get a little bit tough with him because for  a bit, he was really
reluctant to use his cane again.  He got into  this thing where he didn't
feel confident or good about using it.  He  would say, "You can see, so you
can just take me."  Again, I don't  like those mixed messages.  Of course,
he'll hold my arm when we're  crossing streets and such, but when we go on
our walks now, I have made him  bring his cane or simply not gone to the
park
if he doesn't.  I told  him that now that he was seven that he looked cooler
and even older using  his cane.  I want to find ways of making it fun and
incorporating it  into being used where ever we go.  But, this weekend,
Willy
used it  without any fuss, and we had a good time going for our walk.  I
told
him that I'd challenge him to walk with me to the park without holding  my
hand.  He did it!

Thank you to you guys for the  puzzle ideas!  I wasn't sure how he would
work, as I knew that puzzles  didn't really call his attention in the past.
So, I started out with a few  very simple things.  I had some shapes that I
just cut out and I'd cut  some of those in half.  I just had him put those
together.  He  did OK with that.  I did these very simple puzzles that he
could put  together, and they worked well although he just put them together
on the  table.  If he somehow moved his hand, a piece would fall off or  get
moved, but he had fun with them.  I will probably buy a couple of  them just
so he could have fun and think a little bit.  Being just a  bit held back or
delayed, I think that thinking would be good for him, so  puzzles might be
fun.  I don't know.

I also have  encouraged him to play more with his blocks, and he likes that.
He builds  very simple things and likes doing the whole stacking them up
thing, but he  hates when they fall.

This weekend, he was also introduced to  beads, as someone suggested.  I was
able to find some pretty long  pieces of string and was able to knot one
end.
I got him a whole assortment  of beads.big, little, different shapes, etc.
It was cool.  He loved  looking at them and stringing them along that piece
of string.  He had  some trouble at first getting the beads through.  His
coordination is  a bit off at times, but he got it.  I helped him out at
first, but I  also had some stuff I needed to be doing, so I had him in the
room while I  worked.  We said that Willy's job was to string as many beads
on a  couple of those pieces of string.  Of course, if he got bored, then
he
could read his book or do something else.

I have yet to  have him color a picture.  We just haven't done it yet.  I
draw  pictures just for a hobby, and Willy thought it would be fun to color
one  of my pictures.  Well, we'll have to modify that a bit so that he  can
color.  I guess the kids or teacher at school really weren't sure  if he
could do much of that, but the teacher tried anyway.  You know  how those
primary kinder and first grade art is.

I know it's  not an art project, but he also got to see how his plant was
growing and  water it.  He also got to plant a new one in the garden.   He
learned that the seeds went into a little hole and that they were  covered
with soil.  And.I have news for you guys.  He did a lot  of it with me.  He
got his hands and covered the area with soil and  such.  This is good news
because he's less leery about getting his  hands dirty!!  In fact, he was in
the garden, looking at the plants  and rocks around the dirt and such.

Now, you're never going to  believe this, but he actually did ask me if we
were going to do another big  project and he wanted to know if it was going
to be a messy one because  that's what I had said.  I was kidding, but this
kid has a good  memory.  He remembers everything.  So, I played with him a
bit  and said that if he wanted to do another art project that was messy
that
it  would mean having to get his hands dirty and into things.  He  actually
said that it was OK because we'd do it together!  How  neat!!

I'll get him a thing of clay or something to start out  with, huh?

So, I think what I will do is that one day a week  during this summer, I'm
going to put Wily to the test.  We're going to  go all out and have a fun
and
messy art day!  So, here's where you  come in, because I haven't been a kid
for many years.

Could you guys  share with me some of your neatest, most fun, messiest,
blind
friendly art  projects?  I'm thinking we could make a lot of stuff with our
hands  and build things together as well.  We know he's worked with glue  a
bit now with the collage, so I want to keep that up some, and anything
else.
I guess we could find a way of finger-painting, but would it mean  something
to him if we did that?  Hmmm.

So, if Willy's  on board, and if I'm on board, let the boys have some fun
this  summer!

Dick

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