In order to make Little Bear’s stroller more visually interesting for him, we created a pair of red, sparkly butterflies we could attach to the toy bar. We purchased the same sparkly red craft foam and red pipe cleaner, mentioned in our Adding color to meal times tip, from a craft store. We then traced […]
Little Bear’s first favorite object
The first toy that Little Bear really responded to was his red Elmo. In the beginning when showing it to him we would move it to catch his attention. The first time we did this he glanced at it and laughed. We were so excited that we began taking Elmo with us everywhere. In this […]
Shiny beads
One of Little Bear’s favorite toys is strands of bright red or pink beads placed against a black background. The lights in the room shine on the beads and make them easy to see. He often reaches for them and can easily make them move. These are available at most party and dollar stores.
Black backgrounds
The American Printing House for the Blind offers Invisiboards which are made of corrugated plastic with black felt on one side which allows you to Velcro objects to it. Craft stores and office supply stores often have black foam board that you can use as an inexpensive alternative to an Invisiboard. You can attach sticky […]
Light sticks
Glow sticks are great for kids with CVI. They provide an easy source of color and light. We prefer the Life Gear glow sticks that can be found in many home improvement, hardware stores and discount stores. These are small stick lights which come in red, yellow, green, blue, pink and other colors. They can […]
Adding color to bottles and cups
We have tried several methods of adding color to Little Bear’s bottle and cup. Our current favorite is a combination of a shiny red slap bracelet and a curly red ribbon. He really seems to be able to see this before and while drinking his bottle. In the past we wrapped a red hair scrunchie […]
Adding color to meal times
To help Little Bear see his spoon when eating, we created a foam heart attached with a pipe cleaner. Craft stores will often have sheets of craft foam in various colors. We cut a heart shape out of a red sheet with glitter on one side. We then cut a slit in the center and […]
Incorporating Movement
You can get many inexpensive brightly colored and shiny objects from dollar stores and party stores. For example, Little Bear especially loves sparkly red or yellow Mylar balloons. These are great because they move easily with a slight breeze or a fan. He also enjoys holding them and watching them move when he moves his […]