Instructor: Jonathan Edwards

Assistant teachers: Suren and Piyumika

Schedule:

8.30-9.30am: Introduction

9.30am-10.00: Break

10.00am-12.30pm: Let’s Build a Treasure

8.30am: Introduction (1 hour)

Tessellations

Modification: Using textures and different materials to create the patterns, inspire the students with patterns seen around the de Saram house

For younger students: create a pattern for them to color

10.00am: Main Exercise - Let’s Build a Treasure Map!

What would it look like if you had to search for treasure blindfolded?

Inspired by tactile paving and way-finding can we help our friends find treasure?

You will need:

1. Handout: Printed copy (1 per student) of the tessellation exercise

2. 1’ x 1’ chipboard tiles (2 per student)

3. Blindfolds

4. Textured found objects: Such as sculptures, toys, sticks, bubblewrap, sandpaper, balloons filled with rice, ice cubes, sand, gravel, cotton wool, cloth etc.

5. 10 tiles with textures pasted on them

6. Textured craft items such as sticks, stones, paper balls, seeds, cloth, plastic containers, mini wool pom-poms (can be found in pettah)

7. Tape / glue

8. Treasure! (could be a gift or something to eat like cake)

9. Basic Stationery: Paper and pencil for rough sketches and ideas, ruler to measure, felt pens to draw

10. Craft Materials: Colored a4 paper or scraps, Cardboard Scissors, cello tape/masking tape and Glue

    
    
    

    Intro Activity

    1. Tactile exercise - feel the provided textures and try to distinguish one from another.

    2. With the materials provided how would you communicate the following?

• Simple directions - left / right / front / back

• Danger

• Treasure!

Step 1: Tactile exercise: Lay the tiles in a row at the entrance of the classroom. At the end of the break, when students are walking back into the class, hand them a blindfold and ask them to remove their shoes. After they wear the blindfold, guide them along the tiles and ask them to distinguish the textures they feel with their feet.

Step 2: Once they are in the classroom, remove the blindfolds and direct them to continue touching various textures (found objects and balloons with) with their hands.

Step 3: I’m going to introduce you to a cool texture that you see all over the streets in cities. Ask: have you seen these pavements when walking around? What are they for?

It helps those who are visually impaired know where to go, much like how felt those textures as you walked into the class. It prevents accidents when the visually impaired are walking on the streets. show images below + describe what they are for (going straight, pedestrian crossing)

Step 4: Present the pre-made chipboard tiles with directions and textures to the class. Touch and analyze what you feel. How can you use these tiles to communicate?

Step 5: Introducing the game - Split the classroom in to 2-3 groups (7-10 children per group). Introduce the group activity: To create a path to help the other team find treasure.

Place the treasure in a secret location. Each team will use tactile tiles to communicate the path to treasure. Each team will start from different locations towards the treasure. Each team should have one bend and one ‘danger’ object along their path.

Step 6: Making tiles: Each team will need to make tiles that a member from their team can walk on. Use They will need to make tiles that communicate the following:

• Simple directions - left / right / front / back

• Danger

• Treasure!

Step 7: Making the treasure Map.

Blindfold a member of your team (or two) and test run the treasure Map to see if it communicates

Step 8: THE HUNT! Have a member of the opposite team walk on the path to find treasure!