Braille Month

It Braille Month!

While teaching 1st grade using the Houghton Mifflin curriculum book, we read a story about a girl who was blind and used braille to read. My students loved learning about Braille and "secret codes." We even did a few art projects with it. Here are a few fun activity you can do with your children or students and learn something new.

Materials
Printed Braille alphabet (see below)

Other Materials depending on the project
Liquid Glue
hole punch or sharp pencil/pin
little round objects:beans, bead, etc.
graham crackers or bread
frosting or peanut butter
chocolate chips, red hot dots, raisins, etc.

First, you need to print 1braille alphabet for each project. You can download one here or print one from here. In the past I got mine with boxes to help my students understand that it's based on 6 organized dots like on this web site here. They all print out kind of small, so if you have a copier/printer, cute it out and enlarge it. You can also try this Yahoo image here.

Project 1: Raised Glue Braille
You need liquid glue. The thicker the better because you want the glue to "stand up" not run. Elmer's works pretty good. There is also colored glue and even some paints might work. Pretty much, anything that will harden while standing up.

Open the glue about halfway (so it doesn't run out and ruin your page), dab it onto each dot of your printed Braille page. Try to fill the whole dot and get it to stand up instead of running. It's easier the thicker the glue is! Set a side and let dry.

Project 2: Raised Braille
You will need a sharp pencil/pin to poke holes. This one is a little tricky because you have to poke holes through the back side of the paper where there are no dotes. In any case, hold the paper up to the light and poke holes so that it leaves a raised dot on the front side. If you know how to print a mirror image, it will be a lot easier...
Under printer properties, select the features tab. Find orientation and check the mirror image box. This will print it backward so you can see the holes while you poke, then turn the paper over to feel the bumps.

Project 3: Raised objects Braille
If you don't want to deal with too much mess, find small round objects like: beans, beads, googly eyes, red hots, etc. to glue on to the braille paper.

Project 4: Raised Braille FOOD!
You can make a yummy Braille snack. Using mini chocolate chips, arrange a message for a friend on a graham cracker using frosting or peanut butter as your "glue." Break the grahams apart to make individual letters. See if you can figure out the letters using your tong instead of your fingers.

Project 5: Make your own Braille Stencil
You need a hole punch. Hole punch each braille dot. Once you have hole punched all the dots you now have a stencil to make WORDS!!! Write your name or even a secret message by coloring in the holes on a paper. Then you can do one of the projects above and try to have someone read it with out using their eyes.

Project 6: Make your own Secret Code
Children can make their own symbols for the alphabet including: stars, hearts, dots, etc.

While You Wait...
While you wait for your Braille Projects to dry, you can lean something about the people who use Braille.

How long do you think Braille has been around?
Who invented it?
Who uses it?
Have you seen it at places you've been to?

Next time you use a public bathroom, look for the gender symbol. You will usually see some Braille below it.

To learn more about Braille and people with a sight disability try these sites...
American Foundation for the Blind
Braille Bug
Wikipedia Braille
Louis Braille

You can also request a FREE Braille card here!