"Souvenirs de VACANCES"
Using shells, water and sand, young children go on a hunt for LEGO fish. "Holiday memories" is a pre-braille manipulative activity.
Written by Deborah Mulnard
Sep. 21. 2023
![Child playing with LEGO Braille Bricks and shells](https://images.ctfassets.net/im06m7t3stu6/7vqDZInIApfCVIp1yLZkJK/e535e8a1464ef6c63d6d7504d6a42158/parasol_cover.jpg)
Deborah Mulnard has created a variety of tactile games to teach her 4.5, 5 and 6 year old students how to handle bricks and improve their fine motor skills.
One of these games is called "Souvenirs de vacances".
It requires:
- an anti-slip mat
- a base plate (here called a picture frame)
- a container with water (here called the sea)
- a container with sand with 5 shells and 5 LEGO bricks (here called fish)
The students have to dig in the sand to find the shells and rescue the fish.
The fish have to be put back in the water quickly and the shells have to be placed on the frame to create a "Souvenir de vacances".
![Child facing containers with water and sand, searching for hidden shells and LEGO bricks](http://images.ctfassets.net/im06m7t3stu6/77cC5rBwsYIpJXbE5az6Oe/3c983f5abec28c427167b4bc66925706/shells.jpg)
Another fun activity that Deborah has created is a treasure hunt. The treasure is, of course... LEGO bricks. 10 bricks are hidden in 3 containers filled with pearls, macaroni and sand. Each student has to find all 10 bricks. The first to finish wins.
The students then played a variation of the game, the LEGO race. Each student stood in front of a container and found as many LEGO as possible in 2 minutes, after which they changed containers. To run the activity, Deborah had the children stand facing the worktable, which she turned to the right, the students knowing each other's places.
The pupils had a lot of fun doing this variation!
![3 children looking for LEGO bricks in containers full of sand, macaroni and pearls](http://images.ctfassets.net/im06m7t3stu6/72E61gsrHfpCgXQQm6Pnv8/8d8493ff604ed0643dbfd34c4d4c302d/bac-a-sable.jpg)
Deborah Mulard is a teacher for the visually impaired in Belgium.
Here is another pre-braille activity with water, to practise the orientation of the bricks, Make the river flow.