Famous Inventor Series: Free Printables, Unit Studies and Hands On Activities – Louis Braille

Louis Braille was born on January 4, 1809 in Coupvray, France. His dad was a harness maker. When he was three years old, he injured one of his eyes with a leather tool. Both of his eyes became infected, which caused him to go completely blind by the time he was five years old. Enjoy these FREE Printables, Unit Studies, and Hands-On Activities about the life and work of famous inventor Louis Braille.

If you enjoy unit studies in your homeschool you will love this series on famous inventors. Inventions are fascinating and inventors are so much fun to learn about. It is a great conversation when you talk to your kids about the inventions that were created and what our world would be without these things. Makes for a great history lesson and a lesson on appreciating what we have!

In this series I will be highlighting some well known inventors with free printables, unit studies and hands-on activities that pertain to the particular invention the inventor created. Your kids will love learning about these famous inventors and their inventions that have made a huge impact on how we live our lives today!

This week we are learning about Louis Braille.

At ten years old, Louis Braille attended the National Institute for the Blind, which was the first school for the blind in Paris. During school he was inspired by Charles Barbier’s sonography code, and he spent the years from ages 12-15 developing Braille. Braille is now the primary tool used to teach blind people how to read. Learn more about the life of this amazing man with these FREE Printables, Unit Studies, and Hands-On Activities about the life and work of famous inventor Louis Braille.

FREE Printables:
Louis Braille Reading Comprehension Worksheet from Education.com
Louis Braille Alphabet Worksheet from Education.com
Louis Braille Biography Reading Warm-Up from Teacher Vision
Louis Braille Coloring Page from Crayola.com
Louis Braille Notebooking Page from Homeschool Helper
Louis Braille Biography Worksheet for Middle School from ABC Teach

Braille Games and Worksheets from National Braille Week

Braille Alphabet has tons of free printable Braille Charts which would be great to learn how to read braille.
Alphabet Charts
Number Flashcards
Braille Flashcards A-L
Braille Flashcards M-Z

Timeline Worksheet January 4, 1809: Louis Braille from Write Bonnie Rose


Websites and Unit Studies:
The American Foundation for the Blind has a page on the Life and Legacy of Louis Braille which has a biography page and lots of articles about Braille and the invention of his code.

Louis Braille School Learn about Braille and Louis Braille with Perkins the Braille Dog.

Braille Bug has lot of great pages and free lesson plans for learning about Braille:
Deciphering Braille
Foreign Language Braille
Nemeth Braille Math
Music Braille
Braille Trivia
Braille Technology
Printable Braille Alphabet and Number Key
Louis Braille Biography

Hands-On Activities:
Learn how to understand Braille and create your own Braille alphabet with this downloadable activity from Education.com.

Make a Simple Braille Slate and Stylus from Pink Stripey Socks

Make your own raised Braille alphabet with school glue from Teacher by the Beach.

Here are some fun videos that would go along great with a study on Louis Braille:

The Beginning of a Hero: The Louis Braille Story

Braille: Where did it come from?

Learn Braille in one lesson

Here are some great books on Louis Braille: