Frequently students are given homework to do away from school. Students with visual impairments are no different. The problem is that often families don’t have the same tools that the student uses at school to complete the problems. Or, if they do have something similar, they may not know how to use the materials or equipment to help their child.
To help close this gap, materials have been made to go home to the family in a plastic container. Inside the container are dice, counters with magnetic stripes on the back, flashcards, counter containers along with a metallic cookie tray with dividers (three sectioned). Prior to sending the materials home, the parent is trained on how to use the materials. The most frequent comment I hear is “it’s not as hard as I thought it’d be” and the second most common is “I think I can do this!”. Empowering the parent empowers the child!
Materials
- Dice
- Counters with magnetic strips on the back
- Flashcards
- Counter containers
- Foam blocks
- Metallic cookie tray with dividers (3)
- Plastic container
Variations
The only adaptation I’ve done to the dice is to add brads to create the numbers. I’ve not glued them in as it has never been an issue. However, if a child has a tendency to put things in their mouth, pulls apart materials, or has a younger sibling at home, I’d definitely use glue or rethink using the same materials used in class to send home.
