Friday, December 30, 2011

Stationery card

Happy New Memories New Year's Card
Shutterfly always has unique designs for our holiday cards.
View the entire collection of cards.

Saturday, December 17, 2011

Stocking Stuffer Ideas! Sensory products for blind, visually impaired and sighted kids!

Except for a few new holiday shopping commercials this year, everyone knows Santa brings the best presents to open on Christmas morning! But just in case he needs a little help, Sensory Sun is here to help with this list of sensory stocking stuffer ideas we LOVE!


Have some great ideas too? Just share the love by leaving a comment below!

INCHBUG BRAILLE & PRINT ORBIT NAME LABELS:
InchBug.com offers Braille and print name labels for your child's favorite bottles, sippy cups and thermos! They're a cute little 'bracelet' that fits snug around the cup and won't slip off. Pre-printed labels have the child's name in print and braille, but if your child's name isn't already on the list you can purchase a custom label with the name in print and braille text that reads "inchbug". These are great for kids on the go, play dates where there are a million look-alike cups sitting around, and it's not everyday you find your kid's name in braille on a product you don't have to adapt!
CLICK TO SEE THEM HERE


SMENS & SMENCILS:
Make print writing more fun with these holiday scented pencils and pens! These creative scented writing tools are made from 100% recycled newspapers or recycled plastic, and are packaged in corn-based biodegradable plastic that keeps it smelling fresh! Choose from holiday scents like sugarplum, gingerbread, candy cane, cinnamon and holiday cheer. Our favorite is the Holiday 2-Pack where you can try both the smencil and smen for only $5.00! Order from their site soon and you'll still get them in time for Christmas.
CLICK HERE TO VIEW


SENSORY BALLS:
Sassy (R) Development Sensory Balls are great for infants and toddlers. They're small enough for little hands to grasp and provide a variety of great stimulation for blind and visually impaired children, as well as sighted! The set of 3 balls provides focus on three senses with different textures, high contrast visual appeal (great for low vision!), and sound. As your baby grows, they are perfect for encouraging 'drop and find' skills, crawling and throwing.
CLICK HERE TO SEE THIS ITEM ON AMAZON

REUSABLE WATER BOTTLE:
MADILYN'S RECOMMENDATION!
There are a lot of reusable water bottle brands out there, so we're not going to narrow our recommendation down to just one. Reusable water bottles are a great way to show children that their health and our planet's is important! Don't just recycle plastic (mostly petroleum based anyway! yuck!), use a BPA free water bottle time and time again. They have fun colors and prints, varying spouts for about any ability, and comfy little koozies that keep your hands warm and any condensation inside. The most important qualities of a great reusable water bottle are: BPA free, 100% food grade stainless steel material, and spouts that are BPA and phthalate free! Check out brands like Cynergreen, Klean Kanteen, and Sigg. (Registered trademarks not associated with Sensory Sun.)

HO! HO! HO! MERRY CHRISTMAS!
SENSORY SUN BLOG

Friday, December 16, 2011

Oh, Christmas Tree! Touch & Feel Felt Christmas Craft

"Oh, Christmas Tree! Oh, Christmas Tree!"
My husband has asked me over and over again to please stop singing these two short lines of the infamous Christmas carol repeatedly. I guess I should go ahead and learn the song in its entirety...But, I'd rather post this blog instead!


Madilyn and I used our 'Art and Crafts' time on Wednesday to make this pretty little felt Christmas tree. She also learned about triangles and circles, textures, and decorating a tree! It is very simple to do and kids have fun decorating their very own tree they can later hang up in their room.



Materials:
1 Green Felt Sheet
Marker or Pen
Ruler or straight edge
Variety of textured paper, dimensional stickers, foam cutouts, or anything you choose to use as 'decorations'
Brown paper (for tree trunk)
Circle hole punch (or scissors if you must!)
Star cutout for top (optional)
Glue or other adhesive (non-toxic)

Fold the green felt sheet in half and mark the back side lightly where the halfway point is located. Unfold and face back side (marked side) up on your table. Using a ruler, draw a line from the halfway point to the bottom right corner, then do the same going to the left corner. This forms your triangle for the tree cutout. Cut along the lines. Next, cutout as many round ornaments from the textured paper as you would like. Gather any other bits and bobbles (be careful with children under 3 years) to use as lights, garland, and ornaments. You now have the hard part finished! Have your child feel along the edges of the tree, noting how many sides and angles it has. THREE! "What shape has three sides?" A TRIANGLE! Now have her trace her fingers around the circles and any other shapes you're using for decorations. A CIRCLE GOES AROUND AND AROUND. A square has four sides; a star has five points... and so on.



Now for the fun part! Gather all the materials on the work space. Allow the child to pick out which decorations she wants to use, either all at one time or you can pick step by step. Help the child with any parts of this activity that may be too advanced for her. This activity is meant to be fun more than learning proper gluing techniques. [I put the glue dot on the felt where Madilyn wanted to adhere the ornament, then she placed it and pressed it on. Yes, her fingers got pretty sticky but nothing a little soap and water can't fix.]

Glue the ornaments and decorations on the felt tree, attaching the star at the top and trunk at the bottom of course. Then let it dry for a few hours or as long as the glue instructions suggest.



As soon as it's dry (hopefully that day!) bring it back for your child to touch and explore. It will be a great feeling of accomplishment and excitement for her to feel the tree 'all done.' Hang it up on the wall or bulletin board where your child can reach it when she wants. Take turns counting the ornaments, tracing the shapes that make it up, and exploring the different textures. You can even write the name and date on the back for a keepsake to bring out next holiday season.


MERRY CHRISTMAS!
FROM THE SENSORY SUN BLOG

Thursday, December 15, 2011

25 Days of Christmas Advent Boxes

The holiday season is such a fun time of year! It doesn't have to be any different for children with visual impairments. At our house, Madilyn is already up to "Day 15" of this braille box advent calendar. She has already found a sleigh bell, which she DID hear ring and then told me "I believe!" I ordered the braille/print copy of "The Polar Express" by Chris Van Allsburg on Seedlings Braille Books for Children. She also found a little piece of milk chocolate, a soft mint, and a star. She can't wait to see what she finds tomorrow on "Day 16" and I'm just as excited to see her little fingers explore the next box as well!

HOW TO MAKE YOUR OWN BRAILLE BOX ADVENT CALENDAR:

Materials:
25 Box 3D Advent Calendar
Round Crystal Sticker - small (or any raised/dimension circle stickers)
Print Number Stickers *optional
12" Christmas pattern/color cardstock
Paper adhesive
25 prizes to put in each box (candy, bell, small tree ornaments, braille note, etc. Be creative!)
*Find links for these items at the bottom of this post*

The instructions are pretty simple! If you are using the print number stickers, I suggest putting them on first. Then, just adhere the round crystals on each box to create the braille numbers 1-25. Then measure the sides of the box that will show and cut the holiday cardstock to fit. Adhere with paper glue. Let everything dry overnight, or longer if the adhesive directions suggests. Fill the boxes with all the fun and sensory exploring goodies you find to put inside! You could also use the extra crystals to create a message on the top side of the box such as your child's name, "Merry Christmas" or the family name. 

Madilyn opens the day's box every morning after breakfast. It's a fun, spirited way to start out the day and I usually incorporate it into the day's lessons and activities. Happy Holidays!

Braille Box Advent Calendar - The 25 Days of Christmas

**Disclaimer: Please note that the box that should be numbered "17" is missing two dots of the "7" braille number. It must have been damaged in the unorganized Christmas box =( My apologies for not fixing it before I took this picture!**


Resources & Links:
Seedlings Braille Books http://www.seedlings.org/details.php?id=1413&cat=4
Karen Foster 3D Countdown Calendar View on Amazon
Beyond the Page MDF Advent Calendar View on Amazon
Red Crystal Stickers View on Amazon (these aren't the exact item shown in the picture above)

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Inspired by Pinterest - Sensory Christmas Cards for Kids!

So if you haven't been introduced to 'pinning' on Pinterest, then I'm here to make that connection for you. At first you will love me for it, then you will curse me for showing you a way to use up so much of your free time. Then you'll thank me again...

Pinterest is your personal virtual corkboard. You can pin and repin pictures from anywhere on the web, or even from your phone. It is the world of pictures at your fingertips, with shots of everything from DIY crafts to good to pass up recipes to places you may only see in pictures. Check it out yourself, but be willing to be captivated... and by that I mean spend a couple hours or more on there! www.pinterest.com

Since the idea themes are approaching infinity in the Pinterest world, I have decided to narrow down this post to Sensory Christmas Cards for Kids! I 'repin' and 'like' numerous pins I think Madilyn would enjoy AND unlike some people, I actually do a few of these projects! So here I want to share a few with you. Enjoy!

Since this one is my favorite, I'll show it first! We made these cards and used a different finger for each color, with the exception of "Finger 6". It was a great way to relate the numbers of the dots with each numbered finger. Finger 1 makes Dot 1, Finger 2 makes Dot 2, etc... I pretended to be Mr. Elf, the cardmaking elf, while we finished the craft. We used green, red and white string from the scrapbook store for the string and Stickles glitter glue for the metal parts of the lights. Madilyn really enjoyed my funny "Mr. Elf voice" as well as making the cards for her to send out to our family!





Fingerprint Holiday Lights http://pinterest.com/pin/684729801/

Footprint Christmas Tree http://pinterest.com/pin/684729437/

Thumbprint Reindeer Love http://pinterest.com/pin/695766045/

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Coloring Inside the Lines - 5 ways to make coloring fun!

Who says blind children don't need to learn their colors? For a visually impaired child, it may not be at the top of the priority list when it comes to kindergarten readiness, but an awareness of basic colors is bound to come up each day. So how do you incorporate good old coloring into your child's lessons? Easy- scented markers, raised line coloring pages and more! Below are a few ideas to get you started. Feel free to post your own ideas in the comments section, too!

Hints: Keep the paper in place by taping it to the desk or use a clipboard; Try triangle shaped crayons for new artists to learn proper finger placement and grip techniques!



1. RAISED LINES WITH PAINT
Use dimensional paint writers (like TULIP brand Slick Writers) to outline print coloring pages from regular coloring books or print your own from your computer. The paint dries relatively fast, so if you do it in the morning you can color the page by lunch time.

2. FUZZY FELT COLORING PAGES
Fuzzy Felt or Velvet coloring sheets can be found at hobby stores and dollar stores. The linies are raised in that they are outlined with a soft but permanent fuzzy material that fingers can trace to make out the image. Sometimes they are pretty detailed, so take that into account when finding an age appropriate project. Many are on heavy cardstock or even thin cardboard which holds up better for little ones that tend to crinkle or tear construction paper. You can often find these in very large sizes and with markers included in a set.

Miss M using one hand to feel the raised paint lines, while coloring with an easy to hold triangle crayon.


3. TEXTURED MATERIAL UNDERNEATH PAPER
For small children new to coloring, the lines may not be needed. Instead, try putting a piece of sandpaper, glitter cardstock, or plastic mesh underneath the paper. Keeping it all in place is easily accomplished by using a clipboard- just be careful with little fingers! The child may then use crayons (glitter crayons make great texture!) to color over the paper thereby receiving feedback from the texture beneath the paper and often creating texture on the paper, depending on the coloring utensil, thickness of paper, how hard the crayon is pressed, etc. Try different combinations to find out what your child enjoys the most!

4. SCENTED MARKERS and CRAYONS
A variety of art companies make scented markers and crayons, including Rose Art, Crayola and Mr. Sketch. You can also label colors on the markers using sticker paper (back adhesive) and your brailler, or contact us for custom labels! Scents can easily link colors to real world characteristics and objects. For instance, yellow is lemon scented, green smells like grass, and purple smells like grapes! You could do an entire sensory lesson using these ideas with foods and things around the home. (Personal note: Scented markers smell much better than the crayons I've experienced, however can be messier.)

5. TALKING/SINGING COMMERCIAL PRODUCTS
Crayola Color Wonder Sound Studio - bring your coloring pages to life with realistic sounds including animals, transportation and even your favorite Pixar characters. Refill pages can be purchased separately or you can use your own regular paper. I used dimensional paints as in idea #1 above to make the Crayola pages raised line drawings, then recorded the sounds as instructed for each page. Each time the child colors over the designated area, she can hear the tiger roar or the car horn beep. The special Crayola mess free markers only color (show up) on the Color Wonder paper, thereby keeping your surroundings (table, chair, child...) clean! There is also the Crayola Beginnings Color Me a Song which makes different music depending on how fast or slow the child colors, and which instrument buttons are pressed. This is great fun for early scribblers!
  • Product Dimensions (inches): 13 (L) x 12 (W) x 2.1 (H)
  • Age: 3 years and up

Crayola Beginnings Tadoodles Markers (Easy Grip) - These easy grip markers are designed for children ages 18 months and up. The design encourages development of gross to fine motor skills. Some of the animal designs make a noise when the caps are replaced, too! For more fine motor help, try the triangular markers and crayons designed to teach proper pincer grasp.


Dora Talking iCrayons - This is an older product I found at Target, but have not been able to find them since then. If you already have it, you can still buy braille and no-braille labeled replacement crayons from Independent Living Aids or on Amazon.

Use adhesive backed sticker paper to make your own braille labels for markers.


**All brands and companies are registered trademarks, along with their products. This blog description is just a personal opinion & recommendation from a parent of a blind child!**

Friday, November 4, 2011

Seeing through Listening: DVS and MoPix

We recently took Madilyn is to the theater to see The Lion King 3D. Yes it was in only available in 3D where we went so we had to pay the price for an option only my husband and I were able to take advantage of but oh well! We chose the specific theater because I found a tip online that said it offered Descriptive Audio Services for the Visually Impaired. I even called to confirm this and the guy that answered didn't even pause before saying "yes." But guess what? The only option they offered when we asked the girl at the window was a set of headphones which, once the movie started, we found out only increased the volume of what the other loud speakers were already blaring. We were disappointed but stayed anyway.

I closed my eyes as the movie began, listening for clues about what was being shown. There were none. Throughout the first half of the movie, someone that could not see the pictures, had no idea the lion cub was born. The infamous scene of the baboon holding the sweet innocent lion cub with eyes wide, looking out from top the pointed rock overlooking kneeling zebras, hippopotamuses and more never happened for my daughter.

What is the rest of the movie without this unforgettable scene? Well to Madilyn it seemed to only be a few funny voices and familiar songs. She sat through it but could not keep up with the story since she could not see the pictures. Unless a doctor somewhere, someday successfully performs eye transplants including the optic nerve, she will never see it.

But how can I ensure she still has the opportunity to enjoy it as much as I did as a kid? Through described audio!

So what is described audio? Well, WGBH describes it as a way to "make television programs, feature films, DVDs, museum exhibits, theme park attractions and other visual media accessible to people who are blind or visually impaired by providing descriptive narration of key visual elements. Key visual elements include actions, costumes, gestures and scene changes which, when described, engage a viewer who is blind or visually impaired with the story." Read more on their website at http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag/services/description/.

If you're looking for audio description on DVDs, locate the audio options listed on the back of the package. Look for the line "audio described track" or "DVS". Not all movies have this feature, but many do, especially new Bluray discs. WGBH also lists movies that do and some with a link to buy online. http://main.wgbh.org/wgbh/pages/mag/dvsondvd.html

If your local theater does not offer DVS, as ours does not at this time, you can petition for them to install it through Mopix. Find out more about advocating here http://ncam.wgbh.org/mopix/. We've included our short and sweet intro email to our local theater (Dickinson Theatre chain) for your reference. You're welcome to copy and paste, then fill in with your information to send to your local theater as well! Happy Listening!


Dear [name of theater],

My family and I frequently attend your theater to see all the latest movies, however my [daughter Madilyn, age 6], is completely blind and is unable to get the full experience at your facility. Could you please install the MoPix DVS system to enable blind movie goers to enjoy your theater as much as my husband and I do. We would be more than happy to help raise awareness of the cause and even raise funds to get the technology installed in our town. 

I would love to talk more about the possibility with you. You can also check out WGBH MoPix online at http://ncam.wgbh.org/mopix/ to learn more about it, including costs, etc. Thank you for your kind consideration. 

Sincerely,
{name]
[contact info]

You can also look for this logo:



Thursday, October 13, 2011

Lesson plan ideas - Letter c

The Letter C

When introducing a new letter, it is always important to begin with exploring the different sounds the letter can make. This way your child will get a head start on letters that sound the same. The soft "c" can sound like a /s/ and a hard "c" sounds also like the /k/. However since you are teaching this letter first, you may feel it not as important depending on the background of the child. My daughter has been very familiar with all the sounds of the letters for quite some time now, so I chose to address the multiple sounds of the letter "c" by giving examples of words that sound the same but use letters s and k instead of c.


Main Activity: Object identification to build vocabulary and meaning for understanding. Try finding the items in their own places in the environment, too. Go outside to find a life size car and also explore a toy car inside. Search the refrigerator for a carrot or even the grocery store and garden! Sometimes this is more but can over stimulate some children if they are not familiar with being outdoors or the cool feel of the fridge. It is always great to explore new places but sometimes doing so freely without another motive is less stressful!

Also try this: Place all the items in a pile or box in front of the child. Let her explore and pick out an object to examine. Encourage her to feel it with both hands and all her fingers. (Please use discretion when she may try placing it in her mouth.) Ask how the object feels, and if she knows what it is. After figuring out the object's name (or before if additional hints are needed) discuss what the object is used for and how it functions. Most of the objects listed below are things you probably already have in your house.

List of "c" words

Cat
Car
Cab
Cane
Cake
Cup
Cow
Crocodile
Caterpillar
Comb
Carrot
Corn (cob)
Crayon
Coat
Cell (Braille)
Cherry
Computer
Cookie
Chocolate
Circle
Cape
Cotton
Cotton candy
Card

additional objects: can, cord, color, candy

Sorting activity: after you have completed the object identification activity, try sorting the objects by category- uses of objects (mealtimes and food, objects that hold other objects, things you play with), physical traits of objects (soft or hard, light or heavy, etc)... Feel free to come up with your own ideas and see if the child can too!

Matching activity: use Braille flashcards and have the child match the objects with its name printed in Braille on each card.

Sensory activity: Use a variety of objects including paper and cloth materials to contrast coarse versus smooth textures. Sort the objects into two groups. For younger children, encourage sensory exploration by moving the textures down their arms and legs, and gently on their faces if they permit. Don't force this however!

You may also use the same idea contrasting "soft" cotton with something "hard".

PE/physical therapy: "c" ACTION words: climb, crawl, carry, catch, cuddle
Personally, I don't agree with the idea that a child must crawl before she can walk, but even as we work on walking skills I still encourage my daughter to crawl when we are playing on the floor. She never learned to crawl when she was younger however she is doing a fine job learning to take controlled steps. (However, some disagree that this is a good idea.)

Encourage climbing using stairs and playground ladders. Madilyn likes to climb the stairs up to the slide on the playground or at Gram's house, but I often have to remind her to slide her hands up the rails BEFORE she takes the step forward or she gets off balance and could fall backwards. Like most things I teach her, there is a method. For the stairs, it's "slide hands first, then step." Of course I stay behind her to catch her just in case! One day soon she will be doing it all on her own. I'll be sure to post pictures of this day :)

The skills of balance and coordination come into play when a person carries something, whether it be a book or a bag, there is some sort of give and take throughout the body. Play grocery baskets and produce items are great for this! The handle is easy for little hands to hold and you can also get in a 'touch, feel and name' game in when you decide which fruit to take with you. Let children practice carrying individual items as well. You can make a game out of it by having races. Have children move all the objects from one side of the room (or yard) to the other, one at a time. Whoever moves all the objects first wins!

Catch can be a little tough for visually impaired kids, but it is possible. Use a medium soft ball and play sitting on the ground. Whoever is tossing the ball to the vi child, just be careful and aim to throw it at her lap. Counting "1,2,3" to lead up to the the throw is always helpful. Have the child get her hands ready to catch and guard her face just in case! This may sound a little scary, but using a ball that will not hurt is what makes it okay. Think about a soft cloth ball with a chime inside!

Cuddling is a great way to bond with your child. Hold her tight and snuggle up with a blanket. Even if it is only for a few minutes, the security and emotional response is great!

Music activity: "c" music words: choir, chorus, cello, clarinet, cymbals, middle c piano, click

Speech: hard "c" makes /k/ sound, soft "c" makes /s/ sound, practice the /ch/ sound


Listening activity: Lots of free iPad and iPhone apps have listening identification. Look for some that have categories, like "Transportation" sounds including car, train, ambulance, airplane and more! However, most will require assistance from a sighted individual. Note: There are lots of apps for the animal category as well.


Braille writing: complete a Braille "c" worksheet. Practice writing a couple lines of the lowercase letter c and then try capital C, then try a pattern of "ac" repeating down the line. It is often easy to find the correct finger placement one time, but more challenging to have to switch it up each time when switching from the letter a (dot 1 - finger 1) to c (dots 1,4 - fingers 1,4). Check out our ideas for learning finger placement on the Perkins-style keyboard and the number associations of the dots within the 6-dot Braille cell. The Braille capital sign is formed using dot 6 in front of the first letter of the word.


Make or buy flashcards (or touchcards, as I like to call them) with all the "c" words to practice. Buy simple braille/large print touch cards from us and save time!


Braille Reading: Here is a list of great braille books with many letter c's:
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie
Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type
Cuddle Puppy (infant/toddler)

Imagination & play activity: Be a superhero with your own cape (and cane!)
Creepy crawl like a caterpillar
Pretend to go camping in your room or backyard

Math:  Counting Cheerioes (fine motor skills)
Hi Ho Cherry-O! Game

Shape: Circle goes around and round; no corners/points. Give examples of a circle in the world - car tires, cookies, (recommend option using real objects that can be traced with a circle, not a sphere)
Use shape flash cards



Science activity: Cooking - check out our recipe for braille dot cookies

Taste test! If you used real foods for the object identification activity, further explore the items by tasting them. So the next time your child hears the word, she will recall it using all four (or five) senses- taste the food, smell it, feel it and mash, shake or squeeze it to make a sound. Yeah it may be a little messy, but isn't it worth it?! YES! Your child will love it too.

Geography - Learn more about your city and country. Use raised line maps or make your own using dimensional paint or dimensional tape.

Art activity: Caterpillar Craft! Learn more about bugs and fill out a report sheet to make this fun wall art caterpillar for the classroom. Tell the bug's name, color and texture, what it eats, and more fun facts! Use 3D bugs to explore, then use removable adhesive to adhere them to the bottom of your report. Scroll down to see Madilyn's caterpillar with a bee, butterfly, ladybug, ant and praying mantis.




Here are a few products your child might like, too.

Crayola Beginnings Color Me a Song
Crayola Color Wonder Sound Studio
Nickelodeon Dora Talking i-Crayons


***Always check age appropriateness of products for safety, especially when small items are involved like the beads and beans!

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

C is for Cookie! Braille Cookies!

For a breakout lesson from the Letter C Lesson Plan, try a fun sensory activity that is both educational to prepare and yummy to consume! Check out this recipe for fun - braille cookies!

Benefits:
Sensory Exploration - all senses
Math Skills - parts/fractions, counting, time
Daily Living Skills
Cause and Effect
Learning to follow written/verbal instructions
Safety Skills (kitchen/home, fire, food)

Materials:
Candy Dots (we used Necco Candy Buttons)
Sugar Cookies (we used this EASY SUGAR COOKIE recipe from Allrecipes.com)
Royal Sugar Cookie Icing (this recipe hardens with a smooth, glossy finish)

Details:
The benefits of this activity are more widely seen with the more time you take and let the child really explore! Start from the very beginning with gathering the recipe, reading what ingredients you need, hunt them down in the kitchen or make a braille shopping list (check out our grocery store lesson, too!) if you still need to make purchases.

Go into detail on what ingredients are one by one as you add them to the bowl. Explore and discuss what they feel, smell, and taste like individually (when appropriate). Feel the egg. Describe how it feels - smooth, rounded like an oval, hard. Now crack it open. That sounded funny! Carefully feel the edges of the egg where it cracked. Touch the gooey whites and poke the yoke. Just be sure to wash your hands immediately afterwards to avoid contamination and don't taste raw eggs!! Feel the powdery flour as you sift it into the bowl. How does it feel different from the sugar? How are they alike? Taste them! Take your time and do this for each ingredient. For younger children, count the scoops when measuring out the ingredients. Compare the size of the teaspoon with the 1 cup measuring scoop. Which one is bigger? Which one holds more flour? You're already on the path to a new way of learning math!

Now, how do the ingredients change when you mix them together? What tool do you use to mix them? Touch the dough after it is all mixed up. Smell it! Doesn't it smell sweet and delicious? Don't taste it yet though! Now get your hands in and mix it up, pull some out and play with it. Swirl it around between your palms to form a ball. When it is just right, place it on the pan. Hope you (the adult, of course!) remembered to preheat the oven! If not, do it now :) Count the dough balls that can fit on the baking sheet. When it is full, place it in the oven and set the timer. Depending on the age and abilities of the child, have her participate in the more dangerous parts accordingly. Teach about safety first! All children must learn safety in the home, and that includes the kitchen. Just please be careful! We don't want anyone getting burned or hurt.







When the timer announces the cookies are finished, take them out and after they cool let the child feel them, count them, smell them, and of course taste one! Yes, taste one now before you decorate it. Then compare to how it tastes AFTER you decorate them. Which one is better?

Now it's time to decorate! If you need to make the icing, go ahead now. You can incorporate all the lessons from the cookie recipe with your child again. You can use a plastic knife to ice them if you don't have a decorator's bag and tip. Just make sure you place the candy buttons on top before the icing dries! Place the candy so a variety of braille letters are formed. Make a cookie for each letter of the child's name. She will have fun feeling each cookie after the icing dries, rearranging them on the table to build her name and other words! Can you spell "cookie"?








Additional Resources:
Buy Necco Candy Buttons

Monday, September 26, 2011

TOMS One for One Movement for Eyewear - Learn All About Eyewear Giving | TOMS.com/Eyewear

According to the 2009 Annual Report from the American Printing House for the Blind, there are approximately 59,355 legally blind children in the U.S.


Many of you are familiar with TOMS shoes (check out our post on how to braille your TOMS!) but did you know that the TOMS One for One Movement has extended to help people in need of eye surgery, glasses, or medical treatment all over the world? YES! Just another reason to love Blake Mycoskie and grab a new pair of shades! TOMS chose to tackle the sight problem for a number of reasons, but we at Sensory Sun love "Reason #3 - Sight Means Education and Opportunity." We are aware of the obstacles of living with vision impairments in our visual world, so if someone out there has the chance to see, then thank you TOMS for giving them the chance! 

For more on TOMS Mission, or to buy a pair of TOMS and give sight to a person in need, visit them online @ TOMS One for One Movement for Eyewear - Learn All About Eyewear Giving | TOMS.com/Eyewear:

'via Blog this'

Monday, September 19, 2011

Lesson plan ideas - Letter a

Sorry for being so slow to post the most important letter of the alphabet! The letter a!

I've kept the main layout for the lesson plan as followed in the "Lesson Plan Ideas - Letter b" posted earlier. I believe the most important activity is the main activity for object identification. The blind child will truly learn the concepts through relating them to every day life, not just through the school day lessons she works on for a fraction of time in her day. Everything you as a teacher and a parent can do to 'back up' or reinforce the concept will prove most valuable. For instance, the most common word for the letter a is 'apple.' Don't just feel an apple, taste it, go to an apple orchard and pick your own or to the grocery store, make apple pie... The list goes on and on. The more ways you show the relevance of an apple in every day occurrences, the easier the child will remember her experiences with the apple and continue to learn more as new experiences present themselves. Perhaps, one day she is offered an apple flavored sucker. She will no doubt think back to her first and most recent experiences with 'apple' and be able to decide for herself whether she likes it or apple pie better!

I will follow up with extra ideas and expanded core curriculum activities in separate posts and sometimes come back to add to the end of the original lesson plan posts. So please continue to check back for updates! You are welcome to follow the Sensory Sun blog to get notifications of new posts and edits! Just click Follow on the right -------------------->


The letter a is probably the easiest braille character to teach and to learn. It is simply represented by 1 dot, "Dot #1."



Main Activity: Object identification to build vocabulary and meaning for understanding. Place all the items in a pile in front of the child. Let her explore and pick out an object to examine. Encourage her to feel it with both hands and all her fingers.( Please use discretion when she may try placing it in her mouth.) Ask how the object feels, and if she knows what it is. After figuring out the object's name, discuss what the object is used for and how it functions. Most of the objects listed below are things you probably already have in your house.

List of "a" words

apple - use real apples (organic are best!), or buy fake fruit at your local home & hobby store
alligator
ant
art
animal
ape
angel
arm
ankle
avocado
anchor
airplane
arrow
acorn
award
alphabet
arch
astronaut


Madilyn exploring an apple


Sorting activity: after you have completed the object identification activity, try sorting the objects by category- uses of objects (mealtimes and food, objects that hold other objects, things you play with), physical traits of objects (soft or hard, light or heavy, etc)... Feel free to come up with your own ideas and see if the child can too! We've found it easiest to sort objects by using only two different possibilities, then designating a certain bin or bucket for the objects to be placed. This helps with early understanding of groups.

Matching activity: use Braille flashcards and have the child match the objects with its name printed in Braille on each card.

Sensory activity: Taste test! Gather a variety of types of apples including green granny smith, red delicious, and yellow delicious. You and the child should take turns tasting the different types of apples and dicuss different characteristics of the apples. Use all your senses to explore them, then talk about the texture, shape and size, smell, and most importantly taste! Low vision students should take a closer look and examine the different colors of each apple, too. Record in a journal which apple you each like the best then review it at the end of the week. See if the student can recall which one she picked to be her favorite and why!

Find descriptions of common apples here: http://www.personal-nutrition-guide.com/types-of-apples.html

Think and try all the different ways to enjoy apples! whole apple, applesauce, apple juice, etc. Get in the kitchen and bake an apple pie!

Get those little fingers busy! Build ant hills at home with damp sand in a large tub or use a material like PlayFoam by Educational Insights.

PE/physical therapy: March along to the classic song "The Ants Go Marching" - a great way to introduce counting as well! March all through the room, the house, outside... wherever ants may go!

Music activity: learn many alphabet songs to start off the journey through all 26 letters! Below are a few of our favorites just for the letter a! Hooray!
http://mrsjonesroom.com/songs/asong2.html
http://mrsjonesroom.com/songs/asong.html

Math activity: learn about parts and fractions using slices of apples. Use several apples to demonstrate whole, half, and quarters... Even if the child is too young to remember the names for the different fractions, you may show how placing the pieces together form a whole apple. Explore the size and shape of the pieces, counting how many it takes to make a whole apple. Then eat them up- try our sensory taste test activity above!

Gather a bucket of apples and count them! Focus on how the number of apples stays the same, but the number in the bucket and in the pile changes as the child moves them from place to place. 1-10 should be plenty! Extend this activity to practice fine motor skills by counting individual apple seeds or pretend ants, moving them from the tabletop to a bowl, then counting again.

Braille writing: complete a Braille "a" worksheet. Practice writing a couple lines of the letter a, as well as "capital a" using dot 6, then dot 1. Introduce dot 1, using finger 1. Madilyn has had great success using textured key covers for easy finger placement. Please contact us via email for more on this item until we get it up as its own blog post. Also, check out our ideas for learning finger placement on the Perkins-style keyboard and the number associations of the dots within the 6-dot Braille cell.

Braille reading: Practice tracking lines of braille using a fun game like this- using dots 3 and 6, make a line of repeated characters .. placing an "apple" or "ant" - a full braille cell (all 6 dots)- intermittently in the line. Have the child track the line from left to right, counting the number of apples/ants in each line. You can also use strips of textured paper with a pretend ant glued down at the end of the line, or an embossed scratch n sniff apple sticker to smell as a reward!




Purchase our Braille Letter Puzzle for early learning at our website!


Make or buy flashcards (or touchcards, as I like to call them) with all the "a" words to practice. Buy simple braille/large print touch cards from us and save time!

Read the braille book about Johnny Appleseed and discuss the characters, setting, plot and author. Order a braille-print copy from Seedlings here!

Imagination & Play activity: Read the story about Johnny Appleseed then play pretend! Make up your own story about how,why or where Johnny Appleseed planted his apple seeds. Try planting your own seeds inside a plastic cup with soil. Place them in the window sill, water and feel them grow!

Pretend to be an astronaut on the moon or anywhere in outer space! What do you feel, smell, hear and taste? Let kids be creative and encourage all responses as good responses. Who knows! There just may be a puppy wearing a skirt, eating applesauce and drinking chocolate milk out there somewhere ;)

Science activity: Take a day to learn more about astronauts in space! Use sticker cutout stars (thick textured stars are best - find them at Walmart or a craft store) to make pictures. Try reading the book "Fancy Nancy Sees Stars" either in print or download it from iTunes for a great audio adventure! (This book is a favorite of Madilyn's, so she highly recommends it!)

Art activity: Don't be afraid to get messy! That is what sensory art is all about for children in pre-k and Kindergarten! Try painting with apple halves and puffy paints or playdoh. Make impressions of the apples and the star cores to feel over and over again.

Make a textured apple tree. Use a piece of corrugated cardboard for the trunk, a green glittered shape cutout like the top of a tree, a piece of smooth green cardstock and red crepe paper pieces. Have the student wad the red crepe paper pieces up into a tight ball to use as apples. Cut snips in the long side of a piece of green cardstock to feel like grass and glue to the base of the tree trunk of corrugated cardboard. Glue the glittered cardstock to the top of the tree trunk and then attach the red crepe paper apple 'balls' to the glittered tree leaves.

Field Trip: Take a trip to an orchard and let the child pick her own apples! Take the time to feel the tree trunk coming out of the grassy ground, then up to where the limbs branch out and the apples hang off! Let her pick it herself if she is able even if you have to hold her up (but be careful of course!). She will feel the pull from the branch as she tugs on the apple, then snap! And she has a nice yummy apple to take home. She will always remember where apples come from and can then associate this with other fruits and vegetables origins. You could even delicately explore a rotten apple on the ground, but I would recommend a squirt of hand sanitizer soon follow ;) Remember to count the apples you pick and drop in the bucket. Then count them again when you go to pay. Older kids can learn about weight and measurement if the farm calculates cost this way, too!

Another day you can take a trip to a grocery store or farmer's market and buy apples there. Explain how the apples get from the orchard to the store for people to buy. Make a math lesson out of it again with weight and cost, associating money with buying the food. Be sure to read our upcoming add-on lesson for learning about braille, money and math objectives by shopping at your local grocery store!

Here are a few other products your child might like, too.

Vtech Alphabet Apple $24.00 - or contact SENSORY SUN for a braille labeled product for $30.00 + S/H
Safari Ltd Space Toob $10.99
Disney's Tangled with Audio Description - BLURAY and DVD at Best Buy


***Always check age appropriateness of products for safety, especially when small items are involved!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Lesson plan ideas - Letter b

So why am I starting with "b" instead of "a" you ask? Well this is just where I happened to be working with Madilyn this week. But have no worries, as I will come back and post the "a" lessons we worked on soon! And for all you OCD people, like my sister, I'm very sorry for posting this out of order! If it makes you feel any better, I won't necessarily be teaching the letters in alphabetical order either because some are just harder to learn in Braille! Here are some ideas for PreK - Kindergarten aged kids. Now let's begin...


Main Activity: Object identification to build vocabulary and meaning for understanding. Place all the items in a pile in front of the child. Let her explore and pick out an object to examine. Encourage her to feel it with both hands and all her fingers.( Please use discretion when she may try placing it in her mouth.) Ask how the object feels, and if she knows what it is. After figuring out the object's name, discuss what the object is used for and how it functions. Most of the objects listed below are things you probably already have in your house.

List of "b" words

Basket
Bowl
Bottle
Banana
Broccoli
Book with braille
Blocks with braille
Brailler
Baseball
Bells
Beads
Blanket
Bubble wrap
Bumpy Ball
Bird
Butterfly
Bee

additional objects: blueberries,box, bat, bucket, bag, bubblegum, basketball, box, bug, bracelet, button, brush, balloon, banjo, beans, beanbag, belt, bone, boot, bed, bath, bike, bear.

"b" objects


Sorting activity: after you have completed the object identification activity, try sorting the objects by category- uses of objects (mealtimes and food, objects that hold other objects, things you play with), physical traits of objects (soft or hard, light or heavy, etc)... Feel free to come up with your own ideas and see if the child can too!

Matching activity: use Braille flashcards and have the child match the objects with its name printed in Braille on each card.

Sensory activity: place the smaller objects in a tub filled with dry beans. Have the child search the beans with both hands to find all the objects!

Go outside and blow bubbles! Try coloring the bubble mix with nontoxic food coloring so the bubbles are easier to see for low vision kids. Also try the project "bubble art" listed at the end of this article!

Strengthen finger muscles and coordination skills by letting the child pop the bubble wrap! Great auditory feedback and maybe even a physics lesson in there, too.

PE/physical therapy: get moving with batting practice using a baseball tee, beeping ball, and a freshly mown yard! If the child is completely blind, work with her by standing behind her with your arms around her, helping get the feel of the swing and learn will the ball will be sitting each time. Let her place the ball on the tee to get a better understanding of the object of the game- hit the ball OFF the tee! Learn 'off' and 'on' as well =)

Bad weather? Then check out the local bowling alley for a fun game of 10 pin. Ask the associate at the counter to put up the bumpers on the sides for the child's turn and use a lane ball guide (the contraption that you aim, sit the ball on, and then push). Want to play at home? Then check this game out ELECTRONIC TALKING SILLY 6 PINS by HASBRO- it has pins that talk, cheer, and even tease, making the game much more fun for everyone- especially VI kids!

Ride bikes. Try a tricycle for little ones or training wheels for balance. Be sure to help guide the biker and make sure the rider always wear a helmet! Many visually impaired cyclists tandem bike, however finding a tandem bike for purchase may require a little research before a purchase.

Cover a soccer ball in plastic gift wrap like what is used to cover gift baskets. Crinkle it and scrunch it so it makes lots of noise when it is kicked or caught. Play a little game of kickball or just roll it back and forth between the two of you.

Soccer ball covered in cellophane for sound

Music activity: play bells! All kinds of bells! Try chiming along to "Jingle Bells" or make up your own songs. Explore the different sounds and pitches or different bells. Even try out your door bell.

Listening activity: listen to clips of different birds singing and tweeting. Click here to find a few good sound clips. Does your zoo or park have a bird sanctuary? Go out and hear the real thing live! Maybe even pack a picnic, too.

Braille writing: complete a Braille "b" worksheet. Practice writing a couple lines of the letter b, then try a pattern of "ab" repeating down the line. It is often easy to find the correct finger placement one time, but more challenging to have to switch it up each time when switching from the letter a (dot 1 - finger 1) to b (dots 1,2 - fingers 1,2). Check out our ideas for learning finger placement on the Perkins-style keyboard and the number associations of the dots within the 6-dot Braille cell.

Miss M pressing the 'b'

Braille reading: for a simple book with braille and bunny finger puppet, www.Seedlings.org has a great Braille/print/texture book "Bedtime Bunny" by Sandra Magsament.

Make or buy flashcards (or touchcards, as I like to call them) with all the "b" words to practice. Buy simple braille/large print touch cards from us and save time!

Play Braille bingo! We have adapted a regular kids alphabet bingo game with Braille. Make your own or save time and buy Braille Bingo Game from Sensory Sun.

Imagination & play activity: put the braille cards with animal names in a bucket and take turns drawing a card to act out. Pretend to be different "b" animals. Buzz like bees, fly like birds, move your legs like a butterfly, get on all fours and growl like a bear. Also encourages Braille reading!

Science activity: learn cause and effect with bubble wrap. Explain how bubble wrap is used for protecting fragile items. Demonstrate by wrapping a cookie in bubble wrap, tape it up, and place in a small box, again taping shut. Let the child shake, rattle, and toss the box around. Open it up, carefully removing the still intact whole cookie (hopefully) and then, try it again with the cookie in the box NOT wrapped in bubble wrap. Show how the cookie doesn't hold up so well this way. Oh well! You may as well eat the cookies now. Also try our ideas for taste tests for letter b foods!

Taste test! If you used real foods for the object identification activity, further explore the items by tasting them. So the next time your child hears the word, she will recall it using all four (or five) senses- taste the food, smell it, feel it and mash, shake or squeeze it to make a sound. Yeah it may be a little messy, but isn't it worth it?! YES! Your child will love it too.

Art activity: using the colored bubble mix, a few straws and watercolor paper, make bubble art. Squirt a little bubble mix on the paper, then use the straw to blow bubbles, letting them pop to make fun tie-dye looking pictures.

A great occupational therapy idea is to practice stringing beads. Make this a fun art project the child can keep by using craft beads and string to make a bracelet.

Here are a few other products your child might like, too.

Beep baseball - Visit the website for the National Beep Baseball Association at http://nbba.org

Fisher-Price Singing Soccer Ball

Character Sports Talking Basketball Set

***Always check age appropriateness of products for safety, especially when small items are involved like the beads and beans!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Homeschool Lesson Plans for Blind Child

I'll be posting some of my "adapted" lesson plans I've made for my blind daughter in the upcoming months. She is in Kindergarten, so the plans will focus mainly on fundamentals including the core curriculum for language and math, as well as expanded core curriculum ideas such as self-help and independence skills, orientation and mobility, and of course everything will include braille, textured graphics, hands-on activities, and more!

Please feel free to send us an email or post a comment for an objective you'd like to see an adapted lesson plan for your child! We'd be more than happy to help come up with some ideas for your next theme!

Products to encourage sitting, crawling, standing, and walking!

Below is a list of toys we recommend to help in encouraging your child to make progress towards the next developmental stage, whether it be sitting, crawling, standing or walking! Click the picture to link to the outside resource where we found the best prices. These also make great gifts that any child, blind or sighted will enjoy!

Many toys, such as the sit to stand activity centers, grow with the child making them well worth the money. All the toys below have sound. Until about a year ago, my daughter (now 6) wouldn't even consider playing with a toy unless it made lots of great sounds!

Recommended Products:

toys for helping learn to walk


Shoes squeak when you walk!
Wee Squeak Shoes - http://wesqueak.net/

Fisher-Price Cruise Around Activity Lion
Fisher-Price Lil Snoopy Pull Toy
Fisher-Price Melody Push Chime
Fisher-Price Learning Vacuum
Fisher-Price Chatter Telephone


toys to encourage standing
   Fisher-Price Musical Table
   Rainforest Jumperoo
   Fisher-Price Learn and Move Music Station


toys to encourage sitting

   Bumbo Seat
Also, check out the attachable tray so baby can play with her favorite music toy while sitting!

   Vtech Sit to Stand Learning Walker
   Bright Starts Around We Go Activity Station - Doodle Bugs
 

toys to encourage crawling and tummy time

   Fisher-Price Singin' Soccer Ball
   Fisher-Price Crawl Along Drum Roll
   Crawl Along Snail
   1-2-3 Rainforest Musical Gym

***always consult your doctor or therapist before starting a new exercise program for you or your children.

Additional Resources:
USA Gymnanstics - http://www.usa-gymnastics.org/pages/home/publications/technique/2010/05/06_core.pdf
Yoga for Kids - http://yogakids.com/
   They also have a great app for download on iTunes!

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

DIY Texture Board

UPDATE: Have you created your own TEXTURE BOARD? Share it with us for a chance to win a basket of sensory products including SMENS, stickers, textured paper and more! Just LIKE US on Facebook and share your pictures on our page. We'll pick one winner on December 31, 2011. The more creative, the better! Now go make a DIY texture board and share it on Sensory Sun's Facebook page!

It's never too early to introduce little fingers to an assortment of textures- fun and interesting textures at that! You can easily make this board using our Textured Paper Assortment package and a piece of 1/4 inch foam board from your local hobby store. Children will enjoy just feeling the different squares, or playing matching games. Encourage children to describe the textures and notice the differences between each of them, as well. Ask them to describe real life objects that feel the same. Present 3D objects that feel similar as well. It is best to use objects that the child has had a previous experience with, then show that other things may feel the same way, but are different in ways like how they work and what the are used for in the world. Some examples are given below. Enjoy!

For this example, we used 1/4 inch foam board and 6 different textured paper pieces- but feel free to experiment!

Materials:
2 pieces 1/4 inch foam board, with 1 piece cut into 6x6" squares (6)
1 package of Textured Paper, cut into 6x6" squares
24 sets of adhesive backed Velcro circles
Glue stick
Scissors
Box knife, or similar craft knife blade

Cut Textured paper into 6x6" pieces, having 2 squares of each texture. Cut one piece of foam board into 6x6" squares. Glue 1 square of each texture to one square foam board square piece, ending with a total of 6 square textured pieces.

Next, glue the remaining textured paper squares to the large piece of foam board in a 2x3 column/row arrangement (see image below). Adhere the one side of the corresponding sets of Velcro to the four corners of each textured piece on the board. Then adhere the matching Velcro pieces to the individual textured square pieces. The Velcro helps the squares stay in place for the matching game, but could be skipped if you feel it may interfere with the child learning the major textures.

To use on the wall, you can also place Velcro pieces on the blank side of the board for storing the loose squares, or simply keep them in an envelope or box with the board.


Tactile Texture board with matching tiles


Madilyn matching the "honeycomb" textures

Object and description ideas:
Zebra- notice the raised stripes and show they are different from the fuzzy polka dots on another square. Read a book about zebras and other African animals. Zoobooks offers their magazines in braille by contacting their office.

Honeycomb- feel a real honeycomb (it is often easy to find these from local farms) The added sensory exploration of a sticky honey mess will be great, too! Winnie the Pooh books go great with this activity, as well tasting it too! (Children under 1 year should not eat honey.)

Lizard or snake or alligator (or some reptile!)- many hand size replicas (like from Safari, Ltd.) are detailed enough to feel the scales on the animals. You may even try visiting a pet store that is a temporary home of one of these slithery friends, and ask the store assistant if the child may feel them.
Bubble wrap- show how the bubbles form circles just like the polka dots on the paper. Explain how the bubble wrap pops making lots of noise, unlike the smoother paper dots. Show what how we use bubble wrap for protecting fragile objects by wrapping a cookie with the wrap, place in a box, tape it up and toss around. Next, try the same without first wrapping it in bubble wrap. And you might want to save a few extra cookies to eat after this science experiment!

Sandpaper- the glitter paper feels much like sandpaper, but does not achieve the same results when used like sandpaper. Have the child try this and experience the results himself. Just be careful for wood with splinters!

Dried mud- the black raised mountains with glitter feel a lot like dried mud. Have some fun outside after the next rain dries up outside. Or recreate your own version inside in a plastic box. Clay type mud or dirt works the best! This is a great activity to perform when the child is learning about the desert, too!


Furry Polka Dots - Compare the fuzzy texture to that of a furry animal friend. Describe the arranged dots as a "pattern".

Monday, August 22, 2011

IEP help from iAdvocate app

School is back in session and for children with special needs, including blindness and other disabilities, this time of year also brings the dreaded IEP meetings. Unfortunately, not all schools and administrations understand or even care enough to provide the visually impaired child with all the resources, technology, and additional training he needs.

Syracuse University has published an application for parents to provide goals, strategies and possible scenarios to assist in working with the child's school to meet all child's the needs. The app is free for download from the iTunes app store. Check it out via the link below!

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/iadvocate/id427814325?mt=8&ls=1

iAdvocate
Syracuse University
Category: Education
Updated: Mar 31, 2011
iTunes for Mac and Windows
Please note that you have not been added to any email lists.
Copyright © 2011 Apple Inc. All rights reserved

Friday, August 12, 2011

The Price of Accessibility

We are in the age of technology- constantly transforming and improving, while trying to balance complexity, affordability and performance. What keeps the common technology somewhat affordable? Well, there are many things taken into consideration, but demand and competition probably drive down prices most. So how does a relatively small population, such as visually impaired children and adults, gain access to the accessible technology they need to function as their sighted peers? The answer, most don't.

How many blind children are introduced to a computer that is fully accessible to them at the same age of their sighted peers (which is now 4-5 years old)? Not many. Why? My experience is that many adults feel the need is not there- at least not enough to spend almost $3000 on a braille style keyboard with refreshable braille- a strip of movable braille dots that present the text on screen in braille to the user to feel. Or not enough that every home of a child with visual impairments can own their own braille embossing printer or PIAF, a device that creates raised line drawings using special paper, acting much like a copier. I must express my strong opinion that the NEED IS THERE! So how much do you think it would cost for my family, or any family with a blind child, to purchase the accessible "equivalent" technology many sighted families use in their own homes every day? I present to you the large numbers and a comparison...


SIGHTED- Price $                                    BLIND-  Price $ 
Inkjet Printer (All-in-One)  62.00                 Braille Embossing Printer     5995.00
Monitor   169.00                                         Speakers & Headphones         48.00
Keyboard & Mouse       29.00                    Refreshable Braille Keyboard       2795.00
                                                                   
TOTAL: It costs a visually impaired person on average
$8838.00 total -and $8578.00 more than a sighted person!!
Please note that this is strictly my personal experience and products (and therefore their prices) are based on what I found would be best for my daughter. There are other products and other options, however I want my daughter to have what will be most beneficial to her!

If you would like to learn more about technology for the visually impaired, please contact us at Sensory Sun! If you would like to donate directly to our mission of purchasing the items above for my daughter, please donate using the PayPal button below. All donations are appreciated, however please be aware that we are not a recognized 501(c)3 non-profit organization, so your donations are not tax deductible. For investor information with Sensory Sun Educational Technologies, a registered small business, please contact us by email at bviresearch@gmail.com!