Friday, February 17, 2017

Make a Simple Braille Slate and Stylus (inspired by Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille)

Today's blog post takes a different turn.  Instead of a cute kid craft, we're doing some STEAM crafting and making an old time Braille slate and stylus.

Make a simple braille slate and stylus- inspired by Six Dots:  A Story of Young Louis Braille)

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The Inspiration:

My son and I recently read a really inspiring picture book called Six Dots: A Story of Young Louis Braille.  I've been trying to introduce him to real life "super heroes" through picture books.  This one was a hit.  It shares the history of Louis Braille and the Braille alphabet.

To help us relive history, I made a simple slate and stylus from some everyday materials.

Make a simple braille slate and stylus- inspired by Six Dots:  A Story of Young Louis Braille)


How to Make a Simple Braille Slate and Stylus


First I took an old basket and cut off a side.  Then, I cut out a slightly larger piece of cardboard.  Then, I taped the basket side and cardboard together with duct tape.

Make a simple braille slate and stylus- inspired by Six Dots:  A Story of Young Louis Braille)

To use the device, slip a piece of paper between the basket and the cardboard.  Then, take a pin and prick away!  (The book contains images of the Braille alphabet, so just use those as your guide.)

We freely punched some letters, but we also drew out our letters and then punched them out.

Make a simple braille slate and stylus- inspired by Six Dots:  A Story of Young Louis Braille)


My son was pretty excited to see his own Braille writing.

Make a simple braille slate and stylus- inspired by Six Dots:  A Story of Young Louis Braille)

If you liked this STEAM activity, you'll like these ones too!


Today's post is part of a 28 Days of STEAM Series hosted by Left Brain Craft Brain.  She's got links to over 60+ STEAM projects for kids, so definitely check her site out!

Happy making, friends!

Make a simple braille slate and stylus- inspired by Six Dots:  A Story of Young Louis Braille)