

Basic braille
The Bull Pen
Where’s the bull? That’s up to you! Make a bull, then build his pen.
What’s that slithering across the baseplate?!
Watch out, it’s a snake!
Do you dare to touch the head of the snake in the corner of the base plate? How many studs can you feel?
Count them and make the snake grow and slide all over the board!
This multistep activity develops the fine motor skills needed to count the studs on a brick.
all the bricks
Attach a random brick in the reading position, at the top left corner of the baseplate.
1
Ask the child to find the head of the snake (the brick in the corner of the baseplate), count the studs on the brick and pick an equal number of bricks from the box.
Tell them to build the snake’s body by attaching those bricks to its head.
2
The child (or the next player) counts the dots on the last brick attached, then plays again, growing the snake.
The game is over when the snake slides all over the baseplate
Before starting the activity, show the child how to draw a zigzagging snake on the baseplate with their finger.
When the activity is finished, ask the child to use their finger to follow the shape of the snake they have built.
If necessary, add a tactile marker to the head (a small ball of modelling clay, another brick to make a pile…) so that it is not confused with the tail.
Make a snake with playdough and make different snakey shapes – coiled, straight, wavy etc.
Here is the head of the snake.
There you go.
So did you count how many studs there are?
One, two, three, four.
So that means?
What does that mean?
That I can take four bricks.
The little snake is zigzaguing.
I’m going to make a python!
How much do we have?
Just one!
-You can only have one.
One, two, three, four!
That’ll do.
I’ve got four.
And that’s it.
Can you show it to us
and follow it with your finger?
From the beginning,
from its head?