Our Dot Day celebrations spanned several days and then it took me a bit longer to pull everything together but here’s a look at the students’ creativity.

Kindergarten:

After brainstorming what a dot could become, the children were given a “swirly gold frame” from Fablevision’s Dot Day Handbook and a dot sticker to make their own creation.

First Grade:

First graders decorated their dot by using the sheet from the ColAR website. ColAR Mix is an augmented reality coloring book app that brings images to life!  Dot Day Fun! Watch Your Dot Come to Life describes what special things happen to a dot when viewed through this app. Talk about oohs and ahhs from students! What I found amusing was watching the teachers getting just as involved as the children!

Second Grade:

Second grade took this activity a step further. After discussing that, yes, even young children can make a difference in other people’s lives, we brainstormed how this could happen. The students wrote their thoughts on their dot then decorated with crayons and markers. Then the fun began with the ColAR Mix app.

Third Grade:

After talking about how Vashti’s teacher made a difference in her life and then how Vashti guided a little boy to “make his mark,” the third graders were challenged to illustrate how they could make a difference in someone’s life. Students used the Microsoft Paint program to create their pictures. Since not all students wrote how they would make a difference, what they were thinking might not be readily observed but all had something in mind. We had a fabulous discussion about how even the little things you do are important! Here is a look at what they drew.

Fourth Grade:

By the time the students came to me, they had either read The Dot or had watched a video of it but that didn’t mean they didn’t want to hear it again! And, when the students found out that I also had Peter Reynold’s Ish and Sky Color, we couldn’t even begin the activity until I had read BOTH books! The students decided they just wanted to create. Some created images from a dot while others made some type of “ish” picture. Then I decided to let them experiment with the ColAR Mix app. They weren’t as “wowed” as the younger children but they did enjoy doing a walk-around to see what their classmates had created.

Co-Curricular Classes:

The music, art, and Spanish teachers incorporated dots into their lessons too. From dot paintings to dot music to oxcart wheels to mirrors, the students’ imaginations flowed!

Another Dot Day has passed but the creativity will continue!