Cover of The Going to Bed Book by Sandra BoyntonThe Center for STEM Education at Central Michigan University partnered with a STEM class at Clare Middle School to teach students about building empathy around visual impairments and creating tactile materials. The class was taught in a hybrid format with students in the classroom together, and the instructor teaching remotely via Zoom. 

For The Going to Bed Book, students focused on using unique textures and shapes to identify different animals and enhancing the story illustrations with craft materials. The elephant is identified by a gray craft foam trunk shape. The lion is identified with a brown, fuzzy mane and the rabbit by a small white pom pom tail.

 

 

Tactile page with textures for an elephant, lion, and rabbit taking a bubble bath.  Tactile image with textures for an elephant and lion using towels..  Tactile page with textures for an elephant, lion, and rabbit running downstairs..  Tactile page with textures for a rabbit jumping rope..