Experience Nature on Earth Day
Earth Day is April 22 -- this might be the perfect spring day to go outside! 

Children with visual impairments use their senses to learn about the world around them.

Take your child outside. If you’re going for a walk, push them in their stroller or wheelchair, or use this as an opportunity for your child to practice walking with their white cane. Or, just sit on a blanket in your yard or at a park. 

Think about the words you might use to describe nature to your child – windy, sunny, cloudy, quiet, fresh. Talk about the weather that day and what you’re wearing. “Let’s wear our sunglasses and hat because the sun is bright.” 

Listen to the sounds of nature and take a deep breath. Label what you hear or smell. Follow your child’s lead. What are they interested in? Maybe it’s the big rock or the crunchy leaves. Do you hear any birds? Just focusing on one sense at a time is enough for your child if they are sensitive to new experiences. 

Read more about this sensory Learning Experience HERE.
New Sensory Recipe -- Edible Play Dough
Play dough is fun to squish, roll, poke, cut into shapes, or make handprints – no wonder it’s an easy, tactile experience for children with visual impairments.

For children who like to explore with their mouth, this recipe is also edible. It’s made with ready-made vanilla frosting, confectioners’ sugar, corn starch, and food coloring so it tastes and smells very sweet. And, no hot stove or microwave oven is required to make it. Try it HERE.
What We Love Now
We love how APH’s coloring pages have high contrast and texture so it’s easy for children who are visually impaired to find the different spaces in the picture to color in.

Siblings can join the fun, too, like Jack and Charlie in this photo. Jack is using egg-shaped crayons which are easier for him to hold on to. Buy APH’s coloring pages HERE.
Enlightening Light Boxes
Teachers from A Shared Vision use light boxes with many of their families when they visit them in their homes. 

A light box is a box-like object with a smooth surface that is illuminated from underneath. It is used to help children who are visually impaired develop an awareness of light, color, and objects. It is a workspace and a play space that can be accessed with vision and touch.

HERE are our favorite ways to use a light box for playtime, establishing routines, or building early literacy skills.

Vision Screening Training Now ON-DEMAND
Now available! The Vision Screening Parent Questionnaire training is now offered as an hour-long 0N-DEMAND instructional video, so it’s even easier to work into your schedule!  Sign up HERE.

“The self-paced video was easier to fit around my work day, and I learned more if I did a portion of the video at a time. I loved the practice activities at the end to reinforce what was taught.” Rachel S., Gunnison, CO
Easter Egg-Venture in Grand Junction
A Shared Vision families enjoyed an accessible Easter egg hunt in Grand Junction on March 30th. The event was sponsored by the Orchard Mesa & Fruita Lions Clubs, the Center for Independence Low Vision/Blind Program, and A Shared Vision.

Families experienced the hunt with beeping eggs, crafted their own tactile book, and rode in a horse-drawn carriage.

View more photos HERE.
A Shared Vision is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit and the leading provider of in-home and community early intervention vision services in Colorado. We inspire and empower families to nurture the development of their very young children who are blind or visually impaired so that all children may discover their brightest future.
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