The magic of dots, magic tricks and magic fingers, and a cute puppet called cat-a-rat kept the children at Goodstart Morningside – Junction Road highly entertained as part of special Book Week event.
On Thursday 24 August, the centre received a visit from Braille House who were there to teach children about Braille, or ‘magic dots’, and how it can help people who are blind or have low vision to be able to read and write.
A group of about 40 pre-kindergarten and kindergarten children were able to explore stories in Braille and learn about Braille itself. They then broke off into smaller groups with an educator where they continued their learning and were able to touch and read a brailled children’s story together.
Goodstart centre director Liz Kingdon said it was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate the joy of literature in a new way.
“Being Children’s Book Week, we wanted to do something quite different and introduce children to a concept they might not have been familiar with,” Ms Kingdon said.
“Kate from Braille House was a wonderful entertainer and had all the children captivated as she used magic and humour to teach children about Braille and how and why it is used.
“Early literacy is critical for children’s development in the early years. Introducing children to the concept of Braille as another way for people to write and read was a great experience and something we are keen to explore further.
“All children received their own Braille alphabet and numbers sheet to take home with them and show their parents. We are so grateful to Kate and Sally for their time in visiting our centre and introducing us to the magic of Braille.”
Since 1897, the Queensland Braille Writing Association, or Braille House as it is more commonly known, has been teaching and creating braille to empower people who are blind or have low vision. Their library houses and provides a large selection of brailled books and magazines for borrowing, including books for children and young adults.