Early
Experiences for the Tactual Learner
Early
Experiences for the Tactual Learner
An Art Program
Early
Experiences for the Tactual Learner
The following are some ideas for
enhancing learning through the tactual sense.
Early art experiences which are
tactually orientated can be used to develop tactual skills.
The following extract from an Art
Program by Martha Pamperin is reproduced here with permission. (Thanks
Martha)
An Art Program
by Martha Pamperin
The activities that follow describe
art objects and processes which are all interesting, pleasurable and fun
to touch and handle. They are designed to give blind children the opportunity
to create objects of art which they, themselves can appreciate and enjoy
and which they can use to express their personal creativity.
Stuff-n-stuff
General process: Crumple something;
then stuff it into a bag; then close up the bag. Bags can be assembled
and arranged in some way. The result will be fun to touch and squeeze and
generally fun to play with.
Materials
-
things to crumple: Lots of things are
fun to crumple: pieces of newspaper, pages torn from magazines, paper towels,
sheets of plastic, tin foil, foam rubber, kleenex, rags, leaves,etc.
-
some kind of bag: Fairly small paper
bags are easiest to handle. cloth bags, nylon stockings, socks, etc. could
also be used.
-
something to keep the bags closed: Paper
bags can be twisted closed. Scotch tape, string, rubber bands etc. could
also be used.
-
a container for crumpled things which
are ready for stuffing: A cardboard box or other container will be needed
unless each crumpled piece will be stuffed into a bag as soon as
-
it is crumpled.
-
something to hang finished bags from
or attach the bags to: Bags can be tacked to a bulletin board, hung from
a rope or string, glued or taped to cardboard or the sides of a cardboard
box etc.
Activities
Crumple the materials and toss into
a box. Let the child play with the crumpled materials in the box. The child
can reach into the box and play or climb right in and enjoy.
Bags filled with crumpled stuff
can be squeezed, pounded, rolled between the hands and rolled over with
the whole body.
The Find-it Game
Have a child or all the children
in a class crumple materials and toss the crumpled pieces into a box or
other container. When the container is full, let the children take turns
finding an interesting object which you have or another child has hidden
in the box.
Squeeze Me Board or Squeeze Me Line
Each day have the child crumple
a different crumpleable item and stuff a small bag. Vary the kinds of bags
as well as the kinds of crumpleables. You can vary the shape of the bag
as well as the material of which it is made. Tie each stuffed bag with
a string and attach it to the side of a cardboard box, a bulletin board
or other firm surface. Let the child select the place where the bag will
go on the board. Allow opportunity for the child to explore and experience
the resulting display.
Benefits
While the child is having fun he/she
will also
1. Develop finger and hand strength
2. Develop wrist and finger dexterity
3. Learn more about the inside and
outside shapes of containers
4. Learn more about the properties
of various materials used
5. Learn a sequence of activities
leading to a goal
6. Learn to participate with a group
and work with other children toward a common end.
Stringing Things
A wide variety of things can be
assembled in a row by stringing them.
Materials
-
stringables: cardboard tubes, beads,
washers, nuts,macaroni, pieces of drinking straw, buttons, pieces of wood
with holes, etc.
-
stringers: (Firm stuff is easier to
use than wobbly stuff.) pipe cleaners, pieces of wire coat hanger, doweling,
drinking straws, shoe laces, thin wire, rope, string, thread yarn
-
(optional) something to attach the string
to or hang it from
Process
For beginners, secure one end of
the stringer so that thes tringables can't slide off. You can even secure
one end through a hole in heavy cardboard; then scotch tape the cardboard
and string end to the table top. The student then strings the stringables
on the stringer. When the student is finished, the teacher can secure the
free end of the string through another hole. The student can then explore
and play with his/her creation, moving the materials back and forth on
the string, tipping the cardboard so that the materials slide from one
end to the other, turning the materials on the string and so on. Of course,
the child may wish to wear his/her creation around wrist or neck or hang
it by one end from the bulletin board.
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Web page editor Lyn Robinson.
Last updated November 1999.
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