Making a Blanket Fort
There is no one right way to build a fort. Get creative and use the resources you have available in your home to make a fort that works for you and your child. Anything from sheets to stringing lights under a bunk bed, the idea is to have fun!
Materials:
A table, couple of chairs
Sheet(s) (black is great for low vision and CVI)
Large beach towels and/or blanket or comforter
Pillows, cushions and favorite blanket for nap or story time.
No-heat Christmas lights
Assorted Christmas decorations - shiny garland, coloured balls (non-breakable), bells, etc.
Clothes pegs can be used to secure the blanket or sheets
Cardboard boxes can also be turned into wonderful forts
Adaptations for Children with Low Vision or who are Blind
Experiment with lighting and use of different materials (sheet vs blanket) and effect of the material on filtered light that comes into the fort.
Use textured pillows or different textured blankets, sheets to allow your child to explore and learn to recognize and name the textures.
Explore the boundaries of the fort (how high the top of the fort is, where the walls are in the fort, how the door works and where the door is).
Note sound change in the fort.
Adaptations for medically complex children and/or CVI
Will the fort accommodate supported seating or a pad for side-lying?
Is there air flow?
Experiment with different lighting in the fort to reduce fear of the dark.
Depending on the needs of your child, you can make a fort over their bed using a sheet and found objects around the home as props to prop up the sheets as a roof over the bed.
Once you have created a fort with minimal sensory input, try introducing sensory input slowly
Some suggestions:
Start by playing quiet music or sharing the fort with another family member or pet.
Based on the cues of your child, experiment with increasing preferred sensory input, and trialing different types of input.
Control lighting to avoid your child staring into lights, use simple patterns and bold colours.
Slowly add items from the ceiling that will encourage your child to look and explore
Credit: Blind Beginnings, PRCVI, BC Blind Sports, Vision Loss Rehabilitation Canada