2012 Houston BELL Program Day 1

Today was the first day of the 2012 Houston BELL program. The students participated with a celebration, in honor of Louis Braille. They learned that Louis was the person that invented Braille, and they had the opportunity to learn and have fun playing with friends at the party.

In the Reading Station students read accessible birthday cards translated to Braille. Most of the cards had a tactile shape of an object. For example, some had funny animals, cartoon characters, and musical instruments. In Writing, students had the opportunity to label their NFB free long white canes. They used the Perkins Brailler, to Braille their names, and attached their named tags to the top of their canes. In the Non-Visual Station, students had the opportunity to rap presents for a very special person. They had the choice between a birthday gift bag and a birthday box. In the STEM Station, students learned about another very important person for the blind community, Dr. Abraham Nemeth. They learned that the Nemeth code is the Braille language that is used in mathematics and other STEM subjects.

Today’s lunch was a sandwich and chips, PB&J or ham and cheese. For recess students had time to play ball and blocks with each other. Our reader for the day was Richie Flores, our 2012 BELL Coordinator. The group Activity involved celebrating the birthday of the coolest person regarding Braille. The students bang away on a piñata, ate cake, and had a very special visit by a clown. In our BELL Ringers, many positive experiences were shared with the group. One student rapped her first gift, and others explored the wonders of Braille.

We will meet again tomorrow, Tuesday June 5, 2012. Remember that we will be swimming, so please pack accordingly.