[Nfb-krafters-korner] Collage for Willy

Sun May 22 17:17:08 UTC 2011

Dick, Interesting your observation.  So when you get in a pickle, you say to
Willy, you have been blind far longer then I have, will you help me do x or
y.  If he is decent at some cane travel, say walking down a sidewalk to
something.  Ask Willy to guide you.  This will boost his confidence in what
he is learning.  Or he can teach you how to read Braille.  You can write
secret messages to him, do treasure hunts etc.

I got it your thinking about busting this bad habit.  I just had a guy ask
me to buy him a pizza.  His disability is blindness.  He has food around his
home, not much, but he never learned to cook.  Willy should be making
sscrambled eggs, pancakes, toast, pour his own milk on cereal, anything a
normal seven year old is doing Willy should be doing.

Willy needs a plan the school system should be setting up, Individual
Education Plan.  The schools by law should be doing this.  Willy gets five
hours of cane travel a week, ten hours of Braille instruction, He has raised
line drawing in class so he can participate.  His markers have Braille on
them so he knows to pull out the correct color to participate in class
activities, he has an itinerant teacher to teach him things that the regular
class is learning ten hours a week, Willie has a buddy with him to help him
understand what they are doing in gym class etc.  Let's whip this school
system into shape.  Does he have a State provided Counselor for the blind to
help mom and his school system get that IEP in place? Well he has that
right.  

Practice spelling with him.  You are teaching him to write thank you notes.
He writes it out in Braille and you write it in print.  Ask him to spell out
words. He picks up a stone. Teze him you know how to spell it, and spell it
all crazy.  He picks up a button and you say it all crazy sounding.  Let him
spell it for you. My dad had his own Pittsburghees on how he said words.  I
used to say the word he just tried to pronounce and asked him to spell it.
We would both burst out laughing.  He'd say, Beck get me a fashlight.I would
say, how do you spell that, giggle.  So work it in reverse with Willie.

Learning can be so fun. 

By the way my seven year old grandson beat his grandpa in chess, checkers,
card games etc.  He even knows how to, supervised, wash dishes, smile. 

Warm hugs,

What a fabulous Uncle you are.  Thank you!

Becky and Jake clapping his paws  
-----Original Message-----
From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
[mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Powers, Terry
(NIH/OD/DEAS) [E]
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2011 11:50 AM
To: 'Dick Carlson'; 'List for blind crafters and artists'
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Collage for Willy

That also puts you at his level.  Good idea.

Terry P.

-----Original Message-----
From: Dick Carlson [mailto:dick.carlson0428 at earthlink.net] 
Sent: Friday, May 20, 2011 2:29 PM
To: List for blind crafters and artists; List for blind crafters and artists
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Collage for Willy

You asked a good question.  Why a blindfold?
Two reasons.  First, I thought it would be interesting to experience
something with him on sort of equal ground so that he also knows that one
doesn't need to see to enjoy art.

Second, he's lately gotten into something that I'm leery about.  Basically,
when something gets hard or frustrating for him or something he doesn't want
or like to do, he usually just says something like "You can see it, so can
you just do it for me and it will be better and faster."  He's gotten this
message from other adults like mom and grandparents and perhaps school as
well.
But you're right in that I don't have to go that route.  Just wanting to
have some fun with him as well and let him know that he doesn't always need
my eyes to do something that might take a little time.

-----Original Message-----
>From: River Woman <riverwoman at zoominternet.net>
>Sent: May 20, 2011 5:01 AM
>To: List for blind crafters and artists 
><nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
>Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Collage for Willy
>
>If he does not like using his fingers, why not put the glue in a little 
>pot or dish, and let him brush it on? I always used a brush to put the 
>glue on, but if I needed a lot more then I just squeezed it out of the 
>bottle directly onto the surface and then put stuff into the puddle of 
>glue. You do not have to be sparing with the glue - you can use a LOT, 
>make a puddle right onto the hard surface I told you about. This is the 
>beauty of using that masonite or paneling surface. It is tough and you 
>can really go at it with no worries about buckling or tearing.
>
>Why a blindfold? What is the purpose in that?
>
>Lynda River Woman
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Dick Carlson" <dick.carlson0428 at earthlink.net>
>To: "'List for blind crafters and artists'" 
><nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
>Sent: Friday, May 20, 2011 3:47 AM
>Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Collage for Willy
>
>
>> OK, so I'm going to ask just so that I am good and clear as to how to 
>> proceed.
>> I think we talked about doing this when he was just about finished 
>> with the first collage, but it's been a few months so I'll just ask 
>> again.
>>
>> If I'm going to do this with Willy under blindfold, which I'd love to 
>> try, how are he and I going to handle gluing of material onto the 
>> wood?  I'm no longer going to do the gluing for him.  I'll do it with 
>> him.  I think you guys once suggested he just use his fingers to 
>> spread the glue.  Is this still a good idea?
>> And, what about Uncle Dick?  Should we be doing it the same way?  I 
>> want us to have a lot of fun and make it very accessible and easy to 
>> do.
>> I think I remember trying this with him toward the end and he was so 
>> leery and barely used the tip of one finger and barely got any glue 
>> on whatever he was using.  Do you suggest using more than just a 
>> finger tip?
>>
>> I really think things will be different now and that he'll be less leery.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org
>> [mailto:nfb-krafters-korner-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of River 
>> Woman
>> Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2011 4:34 AM
>> To: List for blind crafters and artists
>> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Collage for Willy
>>
>> Here is my thoughts on your new collage project.
>>
>> For the backing:  go to the lumber yard. Have them cut up a piece of 
>> cheap paneling or (better yet) masonite.  You can have it cut to the 
>> size of pieces you want, very cheaply.  This is the kind of backing a 
>> professional artist whould use to do a collage that will have objects 
>> on it because it is
>>
>> substantial and will hold the objects without bending or deteriorating. 
>> You
>>
>> can put a coat of any kind of paint on it first just to prime it. I 
>> would use an acrylic base paint - any color at all will do.
>>
>> For the glue, use Elmer's glue. It is wet and thick and he can FEEL 
>> it very well. It is water based, so he can wash his hands whenever he 
>> wants so he does not feel dirty. I am a neat freak myself, so I wash 
>> my hands OFTEN when
>>
>> making art, or doing pottery.
>>
>> The Elmer's glue will dry TRANSPARENT - so he does not have to worry 
>> at all about overuse of glue or puddling, or anything like this. Just 
>> give it a few
>>
>> hours, and it will dry transparent.
>>
>> The other thing that is great about using the masonite is that you 
>> now have a nice substantial base for your project. When it is 
>> finished, you can put a
>>
>> bought frame around it and it will LOOK very professional and will 
>> look great hanging on the wall.
>>
>> Have them cut your board in standard sizes so you can purchase a frame. 
>> It
>> is very important to pay attention to the FINISHING of a project so 
>> that it is pleasing to the person who makes it and pleasing to anyone 
>> who views it.
>> Finish it with a bought frame - and hang it on the wall for all to enjoy.
>>
>> I would never use any kind of paper or cardboard to put an art work 
>> on - they are not substantial and they are not archival. They have 
>> ACID in them and will turn yellow and eventually will destroy 
>> themselves. Plus, they look
>>
>> terrible - you want to use GOOD things that will stand up over time.
>>
>> For only 7 years old, this little boy is amazing. What a wonderful 
>> child he is - have FUN.
>> Lynda River Woman
>> ----- Original Message -----
>> From: "Dick Carlson" <dick.carlson0428 at earthlink.net>
>> To: "'List for blind crafters and artists'" 
>> <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
>> Sent: Thursday, May 19, 2011 3:42 AM
>> Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Hello everybody!
>>
>>
>>> Well, how about a bit of a longer report now that I have some time.
>>>
>>> First of all, as I said, Willy just turned seven years old, and it's 
>>> been a busy three months for him.  I've been able to spend some time 
>>> with him as he's stayed some with me while on vacation or when 
>>> school's been out.
>>> His
>>> mom also travels for work, so this has worked out well.
>>>
>>> First things first.  Willy has begun to not be so leery about 
>>> exploring or trying new things.  This winter, we've had more snow, 
>>> and I taught him what snow was and he actually played in the snow.  
>>> I taught him about making a snowball.  I actually had a bit more fun 
>>> than was necessary, as I kind of guided Willy's hand to throw the 
>>> ball right as his mom was coming our way, and like a true champ, he 
>>> hit her.  She was not happy, because I did the same thing.
>>>
>>> He was interested in how wet the snow was, but he didn't seem to mind.
>>> One
>>> thing we're working on these days again is not worrying so much 
>>> about getting his hands dirty and into things.  If you recall, last 
>>> summer, when
>>
>>> I
>>> first came on, Willy would not get his hands dirty or into many things.
>>> We're working on that now.
>>>
>>> Someone also talked about doing crafts with nature.  Well, it's not 
>>> a craft, but I do have different plants and flowers in the garden, 
>>> so I had him outside with me and we smelled and touched plants and 
>>> flowers.  He liked some of those smells and now that spring is here, 
>>> it's great!  In fact, I taught Willy how to plant some seeds, and 
>>> he's begun seeing them grow.  I chose beans because they grow fast 
>>> and can be planted anywhere.
>>>
>>> Willy had an interesting experience at school which I think sparked 
>>> his interest in trying things.  He found that some of what the kids 
>>> did were somewhat visual.  For instance, they were coloring some 
>>> pictures, which he couldn't do.  Also, the teacher had them drawing 
>>> pictures as well.
>>> Again,
>>> he couldn't really do that.  It wasn't the same to tell the teacher 
>>> what kind of picture he wanted to draw.  It also wasn't the same to 
>>> just give him a piece of blank paper and a crayon and just tell him 
>>> to scribble or color.
>>>
>>> Willy came to me and asked two things.  He knows that I like to draw 
>>> and he wanted to know if there was any way that he could color one 
>>> of my pictures.
>>> It was so darn cute.  So, I've got to find a way to see how he could 
>>> do that.  I want him to be able to feel the picture and maybe just 
>>> color inside the lines.  I don't know.
>>>
>>> Finally, he has taken the initiative to ask if we could do a project 
>>> he did before but in his words "better!"  He wants to make another 
>>> collage, and I'm all for that.  However, I know that I want things 
>>> to go differently than before.  For instance, I want to use some 
>>> kind of thick cardboard to put the stuff on so that it's easier to 
>>> handle.  Also, I told Willy that if we were going to do another 
>>> "picture" as he calls it, then he was going to have to do a lot more 
>>> of the work, and that's where I'm going to want your help and 
>>> encouragement.  If you remember, when Willy did his first collage, 
>>> Uncle Dick did all of the major work, and a lot of what Willy did 
>>> was to hand me the material and tell me where he wanted them put.  
>>> Once we found out that using a glue stick didn't work for Willy, I 
>>> ended up doing most of the gluing until the very end when I finally 
>>> asked you for some ideas.  This time, I want Willy to take charge 
>>> and do most of the work.  In fact, I think it would be fun for both 
>>> of us to do the work together but I might decide to do it also under 
>>> blindfold so that we're both not using our eyes.  I also want Willy 
>>> to feel and know that he's doing a lot of the work.  And, I don't 
>>> think it will be a good idea to use glue sticks.  It's been at least 
>>> since November since we completed his other one, and he was proud of 
>>> it, but now even he said that he would do more.
>>> What do you think of trying it this new way?  We will definitely use 
>>> nature things along with other things like before but he will also 
>>> have a lot more input.  It will also give him a chance to use his 
>>> hands a lot more to feel around and really look at what he's doing 
>>> and how it's coming.  He and I will also just have to learn to paste 
>>> things on and use and spread glue.
>>> I'm so used to doing it visually but I'm willing to try other ways. 
>>> Also,
>>> maybe if I lead by example, he'll just think it's normal to do 
>>> things this way.
>>>
>>> Anyway ladies, remember that us guys can also have fun doing these 
>>> projects!
>>> Good or kids doing this stuff!
>>>
>>> Dick
>>>
>>> We actually want to get going on this during the weekend.
>>>
>>>
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