|
Laura Ingalls Wilder had
a great love for her sister, Mary Ingalls. In 1879, fever struck Mary and
robbed her of her sight. She was only 14, but as Laura writes in much of
her literature, her Pa requested that she become Mary’s eyes. Laura began
to have to describe everything to Mary so that she could “see” what Laura
and everyone else was seeing. Mary once said of Laura, “You make pictures
when you talk”. This is why Laura’s literature was so meaningful and
enjoyable to read.
Have your child think
about what it would be like to have to describe everything to someone else
who could not see it. Help them to understand what amount of detail they
must go to in order to truly allow others to “see” what they see, when they
cannot.
In order to have your
child truly understand what it would be like to have to describe something
to someone who is not seeing what they see, or a in order for them to
understand an item completely do the following activity with your child.
-
Arrange a few household items on a tray. Some suggestions might be: a
fork, a shoe, a book, a piece of fruit, a candle, and a quarter.
-
Blindfold or have one child close their eyes while you or a sibling
describes one of the items to your child. Take turns being the
blindfolded person and the one who describes.
-
Talk with your child about how difficult this task was to complete.
Doing this activity will give your child a greater understanding of what it
would be like to be blind as well as what it would be like to be someone who
helps a blind person.
It will also helps your child develop their ability to create very visual
stories. |
