childsPly Vision

Under pressure, I've just made my focus booths available for purchase on my website, though I cannot advocate too strongly that I'm more than willing to assist anyone to DIY. All the necessary materials (black 5mm corflute/signboard, duct tape and velcro dots) are readily available across the country at Office Works. The booths come in 2 sizes and flat pack so they are easily portable, providing spaces with minimal visual distraction in home and school environments.

Checkout my online catalogue to see my latest contribution to tactile graphicacy. It's not a new concept but it will potentially provide a more affordable means of enabling a touch reader to participate in technical drawing.

I've recently been working on a project to develop an inexpensive tactile technical drawing board that enables a touch reader to create simple raised-line drawings they can feel as they draw. I've managed to source the rubber material that is essential for the process of allowing the raised lines to appear on the top surface of plastic embossing film when scored with a stylus or medium ballpoint pen. I've also discovered that this magic also works well with 80gsm standard copy paper so ... until I finalise the more elaborate drawing board I have a simple clipboard based "sketch pad" version available for $20. And when you check it out on my website catalogue, take a look at the new set of tactile drawing instruments available too.

Christmas alert! In recent months I'v added quite a few new VI games and puzzles to my online catalogue. As they all take quite a bit of time for this septuagenarian to produce, I'm just putting it out there that if you are thinking of ordering any for Christmas presents, PLEASE put your order in early!

Well I've eventually found the time to add that latest game to the website. I've called it "Gone Fishing" and it includes cards for playing classic "fish" as well as a version of "bingo". I've stayed with the 4x12 sea creature set ( spelling corrected) and added a pizza box for storage that doubles up as a secret place to touch read a hand of cards. I've also included a simple bag to hold the paying deck away from prying eyes. I found it all a bit tricky without knowing who the players are. So as always I'm open to suggestions as to how best to play such a game. I've put mine in the instructions but I'm sure others have worked out a better way to set things up for fair play! Look forward to hearing from you.

I haven't put it up on the website catalogue yet but I'm sharing this early idea for a tactile game of "Go Fish" that could also be used to play bingo and other matching type games. This set of cards (A6 HIPS plastic) is my prototype for some special kids in the Solomon Islands, but I would be happy to make the equivalent based on items of your choice. Each pack would include 4 of each of 12 different tactile images, with or without grade1 or 2 braille. What do you think?

I was thrilled to pieces some years ago when I worked out how to reduce the braille alphabet to just 3 different counters, for use with my modular grid system. (Check out the braille "shorthand" kit on the website if you haven't already seen it) But I've finally bowed to mounting pressure (from those wonderful teachers in the field) and have just added a simple phonics kit to my website. It uses my standard 1x5 modular grids and regular braille alphabet counters. As always, the kit contents can be modified to suit individual needs.

I've also recently added a set of modular alphanumeric mapping co-ordinates and a line symmetry kit to the website.
The Braille co-ordinate strips jigsaw together and neatly wrap around the childsply 5x5 grids for up to a 10x10 layout.
The symmetry kit allows a student to fold a 2D shape along a line cutting the shape in two, to explore whether it is also a line of symmetry. The cut line can be felt through the tape that also acts as the hinge. 16 different shapes are included in the kit.
Take a look at the website to see more details.

Just a quick post to let you know I've added 2 new tactile games to the childsPly VISION website. A texture plus colour version of the well known "Codebreaker" game and a version of "Battleships" with Braille map references for the 5x10 grids.

And for those who have the Waterscape Kit, you might find some VI youngsters to try out this idea for a game of "Beachcomber". It uses the two 5x5 grids and a handful of the specialty counters and the only extra you need is a tactile dice. Have fun.

It's difficult for me to second guess which tactile graphics would be of most benefit to my touch reader audience. As many of the things I love, like trees, mountains and the natural world are out of reach, I'm simply following on from my "book of trees" and started doing more work on mountains and other landforms. Today I have added these two graphics representing the "Geomorphic Cycle" to my website catalogue.